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Fake views: The federal court in Hawaii is cracking down — sort of — on those legal eagles who have been using AI to help them write briefs and other legal filings.

The four federal judges here, led by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson, earlier this week issued a general order titled “In Re: Use Of Unverified Sources.” It seems the judges are stumbling across weird things being submitted by attorneys these days.

The two-page order says AI platforms like ChatGPT or Bard appear to be producing briefs that include fictitious case sites. And that is raising concerns that factual or legal citations or references have not been properly vetted by the real human lawyer who is supposed to be looking all this stuff up.

But … rather than telling them to get back to work and earn that several-hundred-dollar-an-hour fee the court is instead only requiring the attorney to submit a declaration acknowledging that they used unverified sources.

That’s a somewhat disappointing solution, in The Sunshine Blog’s arguably purist opinion. Not only would The Blog never let a computer put words in our collective mouth, but a quick Google search on lawyers’ use of AI turns up numerous articles about how bad generative AI is at the legal profession.

“It is notorious for getting substantive law wrong, for “hallucinating” cases that don’t exist, and for being completely inept at discussing anything more recent than its training data,” says one piece on the Justia legal analysis web site. The article argues that ChatGPT should be used to train law students how to do legal research correctly.

But hey, maybe ChatGPT will have fewer billable hours. It’s faster, right?

West Side story: Five Oahu lawmakers last week issued an unusual joint statement condemning one of their own for aligning “with a group of people promoting hate and bullying.” The statement says that “individuals are hijacking sign-waving events that are meant to raise awareness about the recent violence” on the Leeward Coast.

The press release Friday came from state Sens. Mike Gabbard and Maile Shimabukuro, Reps. Diamond Garcia and Cedric Gates, and Honolulu City Councilwoman Andria Tupola — all officials on the West Side. But for unknown reasons they didn’t say who they were talking about.

The Blog has learned that it’s state Sen. Kurt Fevella, who has been seen actively sign-waving with groups “to foster crime awareness,” according to a press release from Fevella issued just the day before.

What’s unclear is who the haters and bullies are, or what they want. But one Leeward leader told The Sunshine Blog it may be a concerted effort to unseat area incumbents.

Another Maui vacancy: Now that Troy Hashimoto is in the Hawai Senate, there’s a vacancy in the Hawaii House. The Maui County Democratic Party for nominees to fill Hashimoto’s former District 10 seat that represents Waiehu, Paukukalo, Wailuku, Wailuku Heights and Waikapu.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 28, and the party will select three candidates in early December to send to Gov. Josh Green.

It used to be that a governor could pick the person they wanted, as long as the appointee was a member the same party as the prior occupant and met age and residency requirements. But Democrats in the Legislature changed the selection process in 2007 for vacancies.

, Republican Gov. Linda Lingle . But it was overridden by Democrats, who said the bill was in fact a matter of electoral integrity.

The doctor is in: He likes to be called “doctor,” has a background in health and is politically ambitious.

No, it’s not Josh Green but rather Kimo Alameda, a Hilo native running for mayor of Hawaii County.

According to his , Alameda has a doctorate in psychological, educational and cultural studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His working for the Hawaii Island Community Health Center and leading the Hawaii Island Fentanyl Task Force.

Alameda’s campaign priorities are , and he’s Thursday at the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu.

Current Mayor Mitch Roth is expected to seek a second term.

History buffed: Billed as “the true story of a big crime — the Japanese attack that ignited World War II,” it’s co-written none other than “NCIS” heartthrob Mark Harmon, who left the show awhile back and clearly had much more time to finish this book.

“Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor” is set to be released this week from HarperCollins. It tells the tale of local boy Douglas Wada, described as the first Japanese American to work in intelligence.

Wada worked for the Office of Naval Intelligence in the 1930s and 1940s, and retired Naval Criminal Investigative Service veteran Leon Carroll Jr. The other main character is Takeo Yoshikawa, a Japanese spy sent to Pearl Harbor to gather information on the U.S. fleet.

“Also caught in the upheaval are Honolulu’s innocent residents — including Douglas Wada’s father — who endure the war’s anti-Japanese fervor and a cadre of intelligence professionals who must prevent Hawaii from adopting the same destructive mass internments as California,” says .

The Blog can’t wait for the movie.