Illustrative example
Exhibit A
Question
An AI answer cited a Supreme Court judgment for my point, but I cannot find it anywhere. Is it real, and does it say what the answer claims?
Find the judgment before you rely on the point.
A useful response would first establish whether the cited judgment exists, then locate the passage relied on, and compare what the court decided with the proposition it was cited for. If no such judgment can be found, the response should say so plainly rather than offer a substitute.
Information needed
- The case name or citation exactly as the AI gave it
- The court and year, if stated
- The proposition it was cited for
- Where the citation appeared
Source trail
The judgment as cited
The response should say whether a judgment matching the citation can be found, and where its official text can be read.
Relevant passage
The paragraph relied on, shown with its paragraph number and the text around it, so the point can be read in context.
What needs checking
- Whether the judgment exists
- Whether the passage supports the proposition
- Whether it was later overruled, distinguished or qualified
This example ends with source assessment. A citation that cannot be found should not be relied on.
Illustrative example
Exhibit B
Question
Our housing society’s managing committee has issued rules on who may feed community animals, and where. Can the committee do that?
Start with what the committee’s power rests on.
A useful response would identify the law governing the society, the society’s registered bye-laws, and the rules that apply to community animals, and then ask whether the committee’s rules fit within them.
Information needed
- The state in which the society is registered
- The date and wording of the committee’s rules
- Whether the general body approved them
- What outcome you are seeking
Source trail
Society law, bye-laws and rules on community animals
The response should identify the law and the registered bye-laws that govern the society, and the rules that apply to community animals.
Relevant passage
The provisions that bear on the committee’s power, shown in full with their numbers, so they can be read in context.
What needs checking
- Whether the society’s registered bye-laws differ from the model version
- Whether the committee’s rules conflict with the rules on community animals
- How courts have since read those rules
Possible next steps
If the rules appear to go beyond the committee’s power, the response can point to the relevant authority for co-operative societies or for animal welfare in your area, and explain what to check before approaching it.
An authority’s relevance does not establish jurisdiction or the outcome of a particular matter.