Monica Tranel caught violating District Court local rules of practice
Monica Tranel, now the head of Missoula Office of Public Defender, has been caught using and abusing AI to write Court filings. Missoula District Court rules require attorneys who use AI to attach a separate page to their filing affirming (under oath) that they have reviewed the document and all citations for accuracy (AI spits out fake cases). She did not attach the required document or disclose the use of AI. Her document literally says "Below is concise motion language you can drop into a ‘Motion to Admit Mental-Disease Evidence and for Related Instructions" and "Below is a full motion you can paste into your pleading, then adjust names, dates, and styles to fit local practice.” The filing also includes hyperlinks.
Perhaps even worse, she uploaded a client's confidential mental health evaluation to an Amazon AI server without consent or leave of the Court to draft the document. If you think this isn't a big deal, please read the brief below. Tranel, as a former candidate for Montana governor and now a state employee, should be held accountable for this blatant untruthfulness in an attempt to short-cut Court procedures.
Link to the prosecution's motion to strike is below. Before you say "well maybe her law clerk did it and filed it" - there is NO excuse. Lawyers are on the hook for every single thing that is filed with their name on it. If she is allowing her clerks to draft documents and file them without her review, that is the unauthorized practice of law and should be investigated. The prosecution is asking for a review of all her cases for the use of undisclosed AI, fact-checking, and mishandling of confidential client information.
Motion to Strike:
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:fc9261dc-408d-49c2-809c-8d668a99283f
Posted Mar 5, 2026, 4:53 PM UTC