Using Toulmin Argumentation to develop an Online Dispute Resolution Environment

Our goal is to model reasoning in discretionary legal domains. To do so, we use Knowledge Discovery from Database Techniques. However there are obstacles to this approach, including difficulties in generating explanations once conclusions have been inferred, difficulties associated with the collection of sufficient data from past cases and difficulties associated with integrating two vastly different paradigms. Toulmin’s treatise on the uses of argument can be gainfully employed to construct legal decision support systems in discretionary domains. We show how we can use Toulmin’s approach to build such systems with examples taken from the domains of eligibility for legal aid, evaluation of eyewitness evidence, family law, refugee law and sentencing. We then show how Toulmin Argument Structures can be developed to construct an Online Dispute Resolution environment that allows for determining BATNAs, exchanging opinions and providing advice about tradeoffs

Chief Justice Robots

Say an AI program someday passes a Turing test, because it can con-verse in a way indistinguishable from a human. And say that its develop-ers can then teach it to converse—and even present an extended persua-sive argument—in a way indistinguishable from the sort of human we call a “lawyer.” The program could thus become an AI brief-writer, ca-pable of regularly winning brief-writing competitions against human lawyers. Once that happens (if it ever happens), this Essay argues, the same technology can be used to create AI judges, judges that we should accept as no less reliable (and more cost-effective) than human judges. If the software can create persuasive opinions, capable of regularly winning opinion-writing competitions against human judges—and if it can be adequately protected against hacking and similar attacks—we should in principle accept it as a judge, even if the opinions do not stem from human judgment

Toulmin-based computational modelling of judicial discretion in sentencing

A number of increasingly sophisticated technologies are now being used to support complex decision-making in a range of contexts. This paper reports on work undertaken to provide decision support in the discretionary domain of sentencing by referring to a recently created Toulmin argument based model that involves the interplay and weighting of relevant rule-based and discretionary factors used in a decisional process. Judicial discretion, particularly in the sentencing phase, is one of the mainstays of justice systems that favour individualised justice. The study discusses the modelling process in Victorian courts in Australia, where the handing down of an appropriate custodial or non-custodial sentence requires the consideration of many factors. Tools and techniques used to capture relevant expert knowledge and display it both as a paper model and as an online prototype application are discussed

A padronização das decisões judiciais feita pela inteligência artificial: uma crítica para a nova ciência do direito

The standardization of decisions by the informatics of law, aiming at an exact science would result in a science in which progress and transformations would not drive the emergence of new rights or the readjustment of those already established. The present article proposed to examine, by means of a doctrinal-critical analysis, the impacts of the advance of the new automated technique of law, especially considering the configurations of a legal Fordism. We sought to answer what is the possibility of implementing Artificial Intelligence in the civil jurisdictional process and what would be the possible consequences, with regard to the advancement of rights already established and the advent of new rights through jurisdictional provision. The hypothetical-deductive approach was chosen, with the purpose of analyzing the problematic regarding the failures of the Fordist legal science. The monographic and historical methods of procedure were used, together with the bibliographical research technique, for a better analysis of the theme and the basis of the critical-conclusive analysis. Finally, what can be deduced is the need for constant improvement and in-depth studies before the artificial machine, which is not even capable of understanding the basic principles of law as a guarantee of the citizen’s humanity.La estandarización de las decisiones por parte de la informática del derecho, apuntando a una ciencia exacta, resultaría en una ciencia en la que el progreso y las transformaciones no impulsarían el surgimiento de nuevos derechos o el reajuste de los ya establecidos. El presente artículo se propuso examinar, mediante un análisis doctrinal-crítico, los impactos del avance de la nueva técnica automatizada del derecho, especialmente considerando las configuraciones de un fordismo jurídico. Se buscó responder cuál es la posibilidad de implementar la Inteligencia Artificial en el proceso jurisdiccional civil y cuáles serían las posibles consecuencias, en relación con el avance de los derechos ya establecidos y el advenimiento de nuevos derechos a través de la prestación jurisdiccional. Se ha optado por el enfoque hipotético-deductivo, con el fin de analizar la problemática relativa a los fracasos de la ciencia jurídica fordista. Se utilizaron los métodos de procedimiento monográfico e histórico, junto con la técnica de investigación bibliográfica, para un mejor análisis del tema y la base del análisis crítico-conclusivo. Finalmente, lo que se deduce es la necesidad de perfeccionamiento y profundización constante ante la máquina artificial, que ni siquiera es capaz de entender los principios básicos del derecho como garantía de la humanidad del ciudadano.A padronização das decisões por parte da informática do direito, visando uma ciência exata, resultaria em uma ciência em que o progresso e as transformações não impulsariam o aparecimento de novos direitos ou o reajuste dos já estabelecidos. O presente artigo se propôs examinar, através de uma análise doutrinal-crítico, os impactos do avanço da nova técnica automatizada do direito, especialmente considerando as configurações de um fordismo jurídico. Procurou-se responder qual é a possibilidade de aplicar a inteligência artificial no processo jurisdicional civil e quais seriam as possíveis consequências, em relação com o avanço dos direitos já estabelecidos e o aparecimento de novos direitos através da prestação jurisdicional. Foi escolhida como metodologia procedimento monográfico e histórico, junto com a técnica de investigação bibliográfica, para uma melhor análise do tema e análise da base crítico-conclusiva. Finalmente o que se deduz é a necessidade de aperfeiçoamento e ampliação constante face a máquina artificial, que nem sequer é capaz de entender os princípios básicos do direito como garantia da humanidade do cidadão

Judicial Specialization and the Adjudication of Immigration Cases

When scholars and policymakers consider proposals for specialized courts, they are usually and appropriately mindful of the potential effects of specialization on the adjudication of cases. Focusing on the immigration field, this Article considers these potential effects in relation to other attributes of adjudication: the difficulty of cases, the severe caseload pressures, and the strong hierarchical controls that are each important attributes at some or all levels of the adjudication system. Specifically, this Article discusses the effects of those attributes, the effects of judicial specialization, and the intertwining of the two. It applies that analysis to proposals to substitute some type of specialized court for the federal courts of appeals in the adjudication of immigration cases. The Article concludes that the impact of adopting such a proposal could be substantial but that it is also quite uncertain. To a considerable degree, the impact depends on the form of specialization adopted and on other provisions of the legislation that creates a specialized court

Tax officer 2030 : the exercise of discretion and artificial intelligence

This article examines the principles underpinning effective decision-making and the exercise of discretion in Australian taxation law in the context of the development of digital government and the increasing use of artificial intelligence. The article proposes a framework for the exercise of discretion by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in decision-making involving expert systems and emerging supervised machine learning and deep learning, consistent with administrative law. The framework is of wider relevance to public sector delegated decision-making and it draws on relevant principles and case law. It identifies the capabilities the ATO requires to implement this framework and maintain public trust in the new systems

Supporting discretionary decision-making with information technology

A NUMBER OF INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED technologies are now being used to support complex decision-making in a range of contexts. This paper reports on a project undertaken to provide decision support in discretionary legal domains by referring to a recently created model that involves the interplay and weighting of relevant rule-based and discretionary factors used in a decision-making process. The case study used in the modelling process is the Criminal Jurisdiction of the Victorian Magistrate’s Court (Australia), where the handing down of an appropriate custodial or non-custodial sentence requires the consideration of many factors. Tools and techniques used to capture relevant expert knowledge and to display it both as a paper model and as an online prototype application are discussed. Models of sentencing decision-making with rule-based and discretionary elements are presented and analyzed. This paper concludes by discussing the benefits and disadvantages of such technology and considers some potential appropriate uses of the model and web-based prototype application.C