Attorney Michael Bradley Sounds the Alarm: Louisiana Attorney Warns of “Trial by Algorithm” in Criminal Justice System
(Isstories Editorial):- Covington, Louisiana Apr 24, 2025 (Issuewire.com) – As artificial intelligence continues integrating into nearly every sector of modern life, veteran Louisiana attorney Michael Bradley is raising serious concerns about its rapid, largely unregulated adoption in the criminal justice system. With offices in Covington and Franklinton, Bradley has spent nearly two decades defending clients across Louisiana. Now, he is turning his attention to what he describes as the most quietly dangerous development in American jurisprudence – trial by algorithm.
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“Technology is not neutral,” says Bradley, a highly regarded criminal defense and family law attorney. “When we allow machines to influence decisions about who is guilty, who gets bail, or how long someone should serve, we’re outsourcing justice to formulas that were never designed with humanity in mind.”
Bradley’s comments come amid increased national debate about using AI tools in policing and sentencing. From predictive policing models that identify supposed “high-risk” individuals before a crime is committed to AI-assisted sentencing tools that calculate punishment based on risk assessment scores, the trend is accelerating, with little oversight.
As chair of the Criminal Division of the 22nd Judicial District Bar Association, Bradley has firsthand insight into how these systems are beginning to appear in courtrooms, often without defense counsel or even judges fully understanding how the algorithms work.
“Defendants are being assessed by opaque systems that neither they nor their lawyers can interrogate,” Bradley explains. “We are shifting from trial by evidence to trial by probability. That’s not justice, it’s math masquerading as morality.”
One of Bradley’s chief concerns is the reliance on historical data, which is the product of decades of biased policing. “If the input is flawed, the output will be too,” he says. “These algorithms are trained on arrest records and sentencing decisions that reflect deep racial and socioeconomic disparities. So when AI tells a judge someone is a ‘high risk’ for reoffending, what it’s often saying is: ‘This person comes from the wrong ZIP code.’”
Attorney Michael Bradley argues that the speed and efficiency promised by AI cannot replace the nuance and context that a human legal process requires. “In criminal defense, context is everything: why something happened, how it happened, and who the person is. A machine doesn’t read character letters or understand trauma. It crunches numbers.”
Despite the buzz around “smart justice,” Bradley believes adopting AI tools without accountability is anything but intelligent. He calls for immediate transparency in creating, testing, and deploying these tools.
“Judges and lawyers need access to the source code. Defendants have a constitutional right to confront the evidence against them, including algorithms,” Bradley says. “And yet, in many jurisdictions, these tools are proprietary. That means a company’s intellectual property is prioritized over a citizen’s freedom.”
Bradley also urges the Louisiana State Bar Association and local courts to hold formal hearings and establish ethical guidelines for using AI in criminal proceedings. In his view, the legal profession has a moral obligation to safeguard against technology that can reinforce, rather than remedy, injustice.
“At the end of the day, I’m not anti-technology,” he clarifies. “But I am pro-accountability. Any tool that affects liberty should be subject to the same scrutiny we apply to physical evidence, witness testimony, and police conduct.”
As AI continues gaining traction nationwide, Bradley remains committed to advocating for transparent, equitable justice, both in his individual cases and the broader legal system. With offices in Covington and Franklinton, he continues to represent clients with the strategic focus and personal dedication that earned him recognition as St. Tammany West’s Favorite Attorney and one of the nation’s elite trial lawyers.
“Louisiana has always been a unique legal landscape,” Bradley concludes. “We can lead in ensuring our justice system stays rooted in fairness, not futuristic shortcuts. Let’s not lose sight of what it means to be judged by a jury of peers, not by a machine.”
To learn more visit: https://about.me/michaelbradleyattorney
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
