Judge Raag Singhal serves in the Southern District of Florida

Judge Raag Singhal serves in the Southern District of Florida, one of the busiest federal courts in the country and a hub for international litigation, maritime disputes, and complex commercial cases. Based in Fort Lauderdale, Judge Singhal's courtroom handles the kind of diverse, high-volume caseload where AI tools are increasingly common—and where AI errors create serious risk.

The S.D. Fla. hasn't adopted a district-wide AI rule, but Florida's state courts have been rapidly implementing AI disclosure requirements, with the 11th and 17th Judicial Circuits issuing administrative orders in early 2026. That state-level momentum is influencing expectations across Florida's federal courts, including the S.D. Fla.

Judge Singhal's Courtroom and Caseload

Judge Singhal was appointed to the Southern District of Florida and handles a diverse docket that includes commercial litigation, immigration cases, maritime disputes, and criminal matters. The S.D. Fla. is one of the highest-volume federal districts, processing thousands of cases annually across its divisions in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. This volume creates intense pressure to move cases efficiently, which makes AI tools attractive—but the pace also means less time for the verification that AI requires. In Judge Singhal's courtroom, the standard for briefing quality doesn't decrease because the docket is busy.

Florida's Evolving AI Landscape

While the S.D. Fla. hasn't issued a district-wide AI rule, Florida's state courts have been moving aggressively on AI disclosure. In early 2026, the 11th Judicial Circuit (Miami-Dade) and 17th Judicial Circuit (Broward) both issued administrative orders requiring disclosure and certification of AI use in court filings. These state court orders require attorneys to disclose AI use on the face of the filing and certify that they've verified accuracy. The certification must state, in substantial form: "Generative artificial intelligence was used in the preparation of this filing." Sanctions for non-compliance include striking pleadings, monetary sanctions, contempt, and disciplinary referral.

International Litigation and AI Complications

The S.D. Fla.'s location makes it a hub for international litigation, including cases involving Latin American parties, international arbitration enforcement, and cross-border commercial disputes. AI tools struggle with international law for several reasons: treaties, conventions, and foreign law are poorly represented in most training data; AI models may confuse U.S. legal standards with international ones; and the Hague Convention, New York Convention, and other international instruments require precise citation. In Judge Singhal's courtroom, international litigation errors are especially costly because opposing counsel in these cases is typically highly specialized.

Practical Filing Steps

Step 1: Check Judge Singhal's current standing orders on the S.D. Fla. website. Step 2: Even without a formal federal AI order, consider adopting the state court disclosure standard as your baseline—it signals where Florida courts are heading. Step 3: Verify every citation through traditional legal databases. In the S.D. Fla.'s high-volume environment, opposing counsel may not catch errors immediately, but the court will. Step 4: For international cases, verify treaty citations, convention references, and foreign law characterizations against primary sources. AI tools are especially unreliable with international materials. Step 5: In maritime cases, confirm all admiralty jurisdiction references and maritime law citations—this is a specialized area where AI models have limited training.

Maritime Law: A Specialty AI Risk

The S.D. Fla. handles a significant maritime and admiralty docket due to Florida's extensive coastline and port activity. Maritime law is one of the most specialized areas of federal practice, with its own jurisdictional rules, limitation of liability procedures, and substantive standards that differ significantly from general federal practice. AI tools trained primarily on general federal case law may completely miss maritime-specific doctrines like the Limitation of Liability Act, Jones Act claims, or general maritime law principles. In maritime filings before Judge Singhal, every citation must be verified against maritime-specific sources.

The Bottom Line: The S.D. Fla. is watching Florida's state courts implement AI disclosure rules and will likely follow suit. Get ahead by verifying all citations, adopting voluntary AI disclosure, and being especially careful with international and maritime law references that AI tools handle poorly.