S. 4154

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4154 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4154

To establish a task force to address legal and ethical issues related 
to the use of AI speech-to-text technology and automatic speech 
recognition technology in the United States judicial system, and for 
other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 19, 2026

Mr. Wicker (for himself and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish a task force to address legal and ethical issues related 
to the use of AI speech-to-text technology and automatic speech 
recognition technology in the United States judicial system, and for 
other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Research and Oversight of AI in 
Courts Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. AI RESEARCH AND OVERSIGHT IN COURTS TASK FORCE.

(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide Congress with--
(1) an analysis of any issues or benefits related to the 
use of AI speech-to-text technology and automatic speech 
recognition technology in the United States judicial system;
(2) a review of the use of AI speech-to-text technology and 
automatic speech recognition technology in the United States 
judicial system; and
(3) any recommendations based on the analysis and review 
conducted under paragraphs (1) and (2).
(b) Establishment of Task Force.--Not later than 60 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General of the United 
States, acting through the Director of the National Institute of 
Justice, shall establish a task force (to be known as the ``AI Research 
and Oversight in Courts Task Force'') to assess the feasibility, 
accuracy, privacy, and civil liberty implications of using AI speech-
to-text technology and automatic speech recognition technology in the 
United States judicial system.
(c) Task Force Duties.--The duties of the task force established 
under subsection (b) shall be to--
(1) assess policy findings, regulatory findings, and legal 
findings with respect to the use of AI speech-to-text 
technology and automatic speech recognition technology in the 
United States judicial system; and
(2) make recommendations to Congress, the executive branch, 
and the judicial branch for any judicial, legislative, or 
regulatory reforms to ensure the use of AI speech-to-text 
technology and automatic speech recognition technology in the 
United States judicial system does not infringe upon any rights 
under the Constitution of the United States, including the 
litigant's right to an accurate official court record.
(d) Task Force Appointees.--
(1) Composition.--The task force established under 
subsection (b) shall be composed of 15 members, to be appointed 
by the Director of the National Institute of Justice, as 
follows:
(A) 4 members employed by the Federal Government in 
at least one of the following capacities:
(i) As an employee of the National 
Institute of Justice.
(ii) As an employee of the Administrative 
Office of the United States Courts.
(iii) As a clerk of court.
(iv) As a Federal judge.
(v) As a Federal prosecutor.
(B) 11 members not employed by the Federal 
Government, which shall include the following 
individuals:
(i) An individual who is a member of a 
professional association that specializes in 
the official record making process of the 
United States judicial system and in the 
technology used for such record keeping.
(ii) An individual who is a specialist in 
civil liberty law.
(iii) An active State court judge or a 
retired Federal court judge with experience 
reversing a ruling because of a written or 
audible deficiency in the official court 
record.
(2) Eligibility.--A member appointed under paragraph (1)(B) 
to the task force established under subsection (b), may not be 
employed by, contracted with, receive compensation from, or 
otherwise represent any entity that develops, markets, sells, 
or provides artificial intelligence technologies or related 
services.
(3) Required expertise.--Members appointed to the task 
force established under subsection (b) under paragraph (1) of 
this subsection shall have expertise in--
(A) the official record making process in the 
United States judicial system; or
(B) the technology used by the United States 
judicial system to create and modify a court record.
(4) Co-chairs.--The Director of the National Institute of 
Justice shall designate as co-chairs of the task force 
established under subsection (b)--
(A) 1 member appointed to the task force under 
paragraph (1)(A); and
(B) 1 member appointed to the task force under 
paragraph (1)(B).
(5) Vacancies.--In the case of a vacancy on the task force 
established under subsection (b), the co-chairs appointed under 
paragraph (4) shall appoint a new member not later than 15 days 
after the vacancy occurs.
(6) Compensation.--
(A) Federal employees.--Each member of the task 
force established under subsection (b) appointed under 
paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection shall serve without 
compensation in addition to that received for services 
as an employee of the United States.
(B) Other members.--Each member appointed to the 
task force established under subsection (b) under 
paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection shall serve without 
compensation.
(C) Reimbursement.--Each member appointed to the 
task force established under subsection (b) under 
paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be allowed 
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of 
agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
United States Code, while away from their homes or 
regular places of business while carrying out the 
duties described under subsection (c).
(e) Final Report.--Not later than 18 months after the task force is 
established under subsection (b), the task force shall submit to the 
Attorney General, the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a final 
report on the following:
(1) Whether a court record created or modified by AI 
speech-to-text technology or automatic speech recognition 
technology affects the quality or accuracy of a transcription 
of a legal proceeding.
(2) Whether AI speech-to-text technology or automatic 
speech recognition technology alters any comments made in a 
courtroom by an individual with a speech impediment, unique 
speech pattern, accent, or dialect.
(3) Whether using AI speech-to-text technology or automatic 
speech recognition technology to perform tasks in the United 
States judicial system will increase or decrease costs for 
litigants.
(4) An assessment of any cybersecurity risks associated 
with using AI speech-to-text technology or automatic speech 
recognition technology to perform tasks in the United States 
judicial system.
(5) An assessment of any other risks associated with using 
AI speech-to-text technology or automatic speech recognition 
technology to analyze or process a court record and perform 
tasks in the United States judicial system.
(6) An assessment of any effects on the data integrity, 
authenticity, or preservation of the evidentiary value of a 
court record when using AI speech-to-text technology or 
automatic speech recognition technology to manage, process, and 
store such court record.
(7) Whether implementing AI speech-to-text technology or 
automatic speech recognition technology to conduct managerial 
and administrative tasks in the United States judicial system 
will increase or decrease court expenditures.
(8) Whether a court record created or modified by AI 
speech-to-text technology or automatic speech recognition 
technology should display a watermark, header, footer, or 
banner to indicate that such court record was created or 
modified by such technology.
(9) Whether a watermark, header, footer, or banner 
described under paragraph (8) should be displayed permanently 
on a court record.
(10) Whether metadata should be included in a court record 
created or modified by AI speech-to-text technology or 
automatic speech recognition technology, including--
(A) which AI speech-to-text technology or automatic 
speech recognition technology tool was used to create 
or modify such record;
(B) which version of the AI speech-to-text 
technology or automatic speech recognition technology 
was used to create or modify such record; and
(C) any changes made by such technology to such 
record.
(11) Whether the United States judicial system should 
provide guidance on the selection process of vendors providing 
AI speech-to-text technology or automatic speech recognition 
technology to ensure the safety and privacy of parties and 
individuals involved in the United States judicial system.
(12) Whether the use of AI speech-to-text technology or 
automatic speech recognition technology in the United States 
judicial system compromises the accuracy or integrity of a 
court record.
(13) Whether the use of AI speech-to-text technology or 
automatic speech recognition technology in the United States 
judicial system causes any disruptions during a judicial 
proceeding.
(14) An analysis of any potential future developments and 
advancements of AI speech-to-text technology and automatic 
speech recognition technology within 10 years of the date of 
enactment of this Act, and how the United States judicial 
system should adjust its policies to keep pace with the quickly 
evolving technology.
(15) Any recommendations for policies to be implemented in 
the United States judicial system with respect to AI speech-to-
text technology and automatic speech recognition technology.
(f) Status Report.--Not later than 4 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and every 4 months thereafter until the task 
force established under subsection (b) submits the final report under 
subsection (e), the task force shall submit to the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House 
of Representatives a report on--
(1) the status of the final report; and
(2) whether the final report will be submitted to such 
committees by the deadline established under subsection (e).
(g) Termination.--The task force established under subsection (b) 
shall terminate, and this Act shall cease to be effective, upon the 
date of submission of the final report under subsection (e).
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) AI speech-to-text technology.--The term ``AI speech-to-
text technology'' means a machine-based system that uses 
artificial intelligence, including machine learning and natural 
language processing, to automatically perceive, analyze, and 
convert human speech into written text or machine-readable 
data, enabling real-time transcription, accessibility, and 
interaction with digital systems.
(2) Automatic speech recognition technology.--The term 
``automatic speech recognition technology'' means a technology 
that processes human speech and converts it into a written or 
machine-readable format without using artificial intelligence 
to facilitate communication and accessibility.
(3) United states judicial system.--The term ``United 
States judicial system'' means all State and Federal courts in 
the United States and the territories of the United States.
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