at's In March, a prosecutor with the Clayton County District Attorney's Office, Deborah Leslie, was busted for using artificial intelligence to write court briefings. Leslie's actions came to light after she was grilled by a state supreme court judge about how fake citations and statutes were included in documents related to an appeal then being heard by the court.
Leslie was representing the state in the appeal of Hannah Payne, who shot and killed Kenneth Herring in 2019 following a traffic incident. The Clayton County District Attorney's Office apologized for Leslie's actions, with District Attorney Tasha Mosley writing in a letter, "In my almost 30-year career as an attorney and 17 years as an elected official, I never imagined a situation where I would do what I am doing now."
The AI-generated argument filed by Leslie contained at least five citations to non-existent cases, and more citations to cases that did not support the arguments for which they were cited. Leslie initially claimed her filing was "altered" before admitting to using AI.
Now, we've learned what punishment Deborah Leslie is facing, and it's not nearly harsh enough. She's been suspended for six months by the Georgia Supreme Court.
That's it, so far.
What it means is Leslie can't argue before the Georgia Supreme Court for the next six months.
The assistant district attorney who filed completely fabricated AI material in a murder case and then lied about it has been suspended by the Georgia Supreme Court for six months. That seems lenient given the dishonesty involved, and the fact that it went undetected for so long. pic.twitter.com/By2zJQ4F5d
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) May 5, 2026
Incredible.
Link: https://t.co/x7MLYkC74N pic.twitter.com/Oxn0CEUqcn
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) May 5, 2026
Remember how the Left treated lawyers for the "crime" of defending President Trump.
Too lenient, since Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and Kenneth Chesebro are among the lawyers who faced disbarment or suspension for the "crime" of simply representing Donald Trump.
— Brian Doherty (@BDOH) May 5, 2026
But, apparently, there's hope that Leslie will face tougher consequences.
It’s a summary suspension from appearing before the GA Supreme Court. The state bar investigation and disciplinary process will yield more substantial penalties
— Phil Holloway ✈️ (@PhilHollowayEsq) May 6, 2026
Here's hoping.
Clayton County DA Tasha Mosley has reportedly filed a formal grievance with the State Bar of Georgia, and the DA's office implemented internal discipline against Leslie.
This is outrageous. This should absolutely be disbarment. https://t.co/1hjMctlCJU
— alexandriabrown (@alexthechick) May 5, 2026
She should be. Citing AI-generated cases and statutes that don't exist puts the legal system and justice at risk. Imagine going to prison for years because a prosecutor used ChatGPT to make up caselaw against you.
Fascinating issue that will crop up more and more. Lawyers are going to be using AI to generate all kinds of deal documents, court filings, etc. It is going to obscure the difference between the highly competent and people who shouldn't have a license at all. https://t.co/msSOf5EuSi
— FischerKing (@FischerKing64) May 5, 2026
Given the up-and-coming, woke-indoctrinating crop of law school students, we're in for a rough time, it seems.
That's why it's imperative that Deborah Leslie face the toughest penalties possible for what she did. A message needs to be sent that this is unprofessional and unacceptable.