Executive Council
The JAIC Executive Council ("EC") is a small steering body responsible for guiding the consortium’s direction, priorities, and programming. The EC helps shape discussion topics, identify emerging issues, curate resources, and ensure JAIC remains focused on thoughtful, practical engagement with AI. The EC is composed of judges from different jurisdictions and court levels, bringing diverse experiences to the conversation.
Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell
Maritza Dominguez Braswell is a United States Magistrate Judge in the District of Colorado and a nationally recognized voice on the legal and practical implications of artificial intelligence. Her work focuses on how artificial intelligence is shaping litigation processes and how judges and lawyers can engage with these tools in a thoughtful and responsible way.
Judge Braswell serves as Co-Chair of the District of Colorado’s AI Committee, evaluating AI use and supporting the court’s governance efforts. She is an active member of The Sedona Conference Working Groups 1 and 13, where she contributes to projects and panels at the intersection of litigation and AI. She is also engaged with the ABA Science & Technology Law Section (SciTech) and teaches a University of Denver Sturm College of Law course titled “Reimagining Justice: AI, Disruption, and the Future Legal Leader.”
Judge Braswell has published on AI-related issues through the ABA, Law360, and the Thomson Reuters Institute, and she authors The AI Brief: a newsletter for judges interested in the impact of AI on society and law. She is regularly invited to speak with judges, lawyers, technologists, and academics about AI’s impact on the legal system and is known for making complex topics accessible.
Before joining the bench, Judge Braswell specialized in complex commercial litigation, co-founded a tech-forward law firm, and led a large team of legal professionals at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. That work continues to shape her practical approach to AI, grounded in real-world litigation and leadership experience, realistic about institutional constraints, and anchored in public service.
Judge Braswell emphasizes shared learning and cross-disciplinary dialogue. She believes judges and lawyers have an important role to play in shaping how AI is integrated into society, and that ongoing learning and engagement is essential to that work.
Judge Scott U. Schlegel
Judge Scott Schlegel, an inductee into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame, was elected to the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal in 2023 after a decade of service on the trial court, where he led a nationally recognized court-modernization initiative described as “one of the most advanced in the country” for delivering justice online.
Judge Schlegel serves on the American Bar Association and Louisiana State Bar Association Task Forces on the Law and Artificial Intelligence, as well as the National Center for State Courts Joint Technology Commission. He previously chaired the Louisiana Supreme Court Technology Commission and served as President of the Louisiana District Judges Association. He currently chairs the Integrated Criminal Justice Information System Policy Board, a statewide initiative to modernize criminal justice data and information‑sharing.
His leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including the National Center for State Courts’ William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence.
Judge Schlegel was also featured on the cover of the ABA Journal and is widely regarded as a national voice on AI, legal technology and the modernization of the justice system.
While on the trial court, Judge Schlegel established the Reentry Court and Swift & Certain Probation programs to help reduce recidivism and improve community safety.
Before taking the bench, Judge Schlegel served as a felony prosecutor in the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office and previously practiced civil law with an emphasis on products liability. He graduated with honors from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he was President of the Student Bar Association.
Judge Xavier Rodriguez
Xavier Rodriguez is a former Texas Supreme Court Justice and currently sits on the bench as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a master’s degree from the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs, a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas Law School, and a Master of Laws in Judicial Studies from Duke University, Bolch Judicial Institute.
Prior to assuming the bench, he was a partner in the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright). He was board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps and has served on the board of directors of several charitable organizations across Texas.
Judge Rodriguez is a frequent speaker on continuing legal education seminars and has authored numerous articles regarding employment law, discovery, and arbitration issues. He is the editor of Essentials of E-Discovery (TexasBarBooks 2d ed. 2021). He is a member of The Sedona Conference Judicial Advisory Board, the Georgetown Advanced E-Discovery Institute Advisory Board, the EDRM Global Advisory Council, and serves as the Distinguished Visiting Jurist-in-Residence and adjunct professor of law at the St. Mary’s University School of Law. He was elected to membership in the American Law Institute and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Texas Bar Foundation.
In 2011 he was awarded the Rosewood Gavel Award for outstanding judicial service from the St. Mary's University School of Law. In 2017, he received the State Bar of Texas Gene Cavin Award for Excellence in CLE, recognizing his long-term contributions to continuing legal education. In 2021, he was presented the Texas Bar Foundation’s Samuel Pessarra Outstanding Jurist Award and the TexasBarCle’s Pat Nester Innovation in Professional Development Award. He is a Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section, Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment Law Section and Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education Committee.