Feb. 16, 2026 8:15p
(WGTD)---Transcripts were made available Monday of two hearings in the criminal case in which Kenosha County District Attorney Zavier Solis partially relied on the use of artificial intelligence in writing a brief.
Judge David Hughes threw the brief after determining that at least one citation was an “A-I hallucination.” Another case that was referenced was also questioned.
While it’s not illegal for an attorney to use artificial intelligence, a local rule requires attorneys to state its use up front. That wasn’t done in the case that was before Hughes.
The transcript also shows that Solis never answered Hughes’ question of why it wasn’t done.
At the hearing, defense attorney Michael Cicchini noted that analyzing the faulty brief and preparing a response took up a lot of extra time.
Judge Hughes eventually dismissed the criminal charges in the case in question, but said the dismissal was based on weak evidence and not on the prosecutor’s misstep.
The district attorney’s office has been short staffed ever since Solis took office about a year ago.
Veteran prosecutors have left en masse. One former assistant district attorney told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that some of Solis’ orders were unethical.
In a lengthy interview with the paper, Solis’ denied that his directives crossed ethical lines.
The roster of attorneys in the office has hovered around a dozen. That’s about half of its authorized strength.
Deputy Chief Judge Chad Kerkman has said staff turnover and inexperience has led to a variety of problems.
In the 'A-I' case alone, the district attorney's office missed two court-ordered filing deadlines. In chastising Solis at a January hearing, a reserve judge wrote, "We hold people in contempt. We can't hold the State in contempt."
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