Fifth District Court of Appeals Looks to AI for Case Assignments

The Fifth District Court of Appeals, located in the city of Dallas, is exploring AI-supported tools to help categorize appellate cases as part of a broader judicial modernization initiative.

The court’s request for information (RFI) outlines interest in systems that can automatically assign cases to No Oral Argument (NORA) or Oral Argument (ORA) tracks using historical case data, while ensuring that all decisions remain subject to human oversight.

The RFI also calls for features such as memo generation to assist judicial panels, role-based workflows for judges and court staff, and an audit trail that tracks model outputs, human reviews and final decisions.

Systems must operate in the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud and support secure, web-based access through the court’s infrastructure. Single sign-on integration with Active Directory is required. While integration with the TAMES case management system is not part of the initial scope, future compatibility is preferred.

The court requests vendors provide information on how their tools address explainability, model accuracy, bias detection and ongoing model updates. Systems must include safeguards to prevent overreliance on AI and comply with the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA).

Cost proposals must include not-to-exceed ceilings for both development and AI processing charges. Vendors should provide a three- to five-year total cost of ownership and identify optional versus required services.

More detailed information about RFI No. 05COA-AI-RFI, including all submission requirements and requests, can be found online. A virtual information session will be held at 10 a.m. on Sept. 29. Questions are due Oct. 3, and RFI responses are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 17. Michael Navin is the point of contact for this solicitation.