JUST: Judicial Support Tool

NU 2023-115

INVENTORS

• Venkatramanan Subrahmanian* (McCormick School of Engineering, Computer Science)
• Cristian Molinaro
• Maksim Bolonkin
• Sayak Chakrabarty

SHORT DESCRIPTION

For judicial decision-making, JUST provides a framework for judges to record case propositions and assign belief probabilities to witness statements. It computes the k-most likely worlds to support final decisions.

BACKGROUND

Judicial decision-making often suffers from inconsistencies and potential biases due to the reliance on subjective judgment and limited computational tools. Existing approaches do not adequately support complex evaluations of evidence and witness credibility, leading to challenges in achieving reliable outcomes.

ABSTRACT

JUST is a logical computing framework designed to support judicial decisions. The system lets judges record propositions and assign belief probabilities to witness statements. It calculates the k-most likely worlds without assuming independence between propositions using explicit and implicit algorithms and a suite of combination functions. Tests on 10 combination functions across real and TV court cases demonstrate its practical effectiveness. Judges can review the top-k most probable worlds to make informed decisions.

MARKET OPPORTUNITY

The global market for legal analytics is valued at $2.1 billion in 2024 and is forecast to reach $6.5 billion by 2029, expanding at a robust CAGR of 25.4%. This rapid growth is driven by a systemic push for greater fairness and efficiency in the justice system and the increasing digitization of legal records, which enables data-driven decision-making. The primary market includes federal and state court systems, departments of justice, and large law firms seeking to enhance the consistency and reliability of legal outcomes. (Source: Thomson Reuters: "2025 Report on the State of the Global Legal Market").

DEVELOPMENT STAGE

TRL-4 - Prototype Validated in Lab: Key functions have been demonstrated in a laboratory environment using multiple case studies.

APPLICATIONS

• Judicial decision support: Assists judges and juries with evaluating complex case evidence.
• Legal tech product development: Supports companies in creating tools for enhanced judicial analysis.

ADVANTAGES

• Enables subjective assessment: Judges can incorporate personal belief evaluations of witness statements.
• Calculates top-k worlds efficiently: Processes enormous possibility spaces without compromising on accuracy.
• Identifies potential bias: Helps detect anomalies in decision patterns to promote fairness.
• Supports informed decisions: Provides a computational framework that aids in objective legal determinations.

PUBLICATIONS

• V. S. Subrahmanian et al, Judicial Support Tool: Finding the k Most Likely Judicial Worlds, Conference paper, 12 November 2024, Springer Nature

IP STATUS

US Patent Pending