AI ObservatoryCosta Rica
JudicialLiveLive since: 2025

AI analysis of Constitutional Chamber rulings

Institution: Judicial Branch

What it is

Computational analysis project using machine learning on the historical corpus of Constitutional Chamber (Sala IV) rulings from 1989-2018, developed through a three-way partnership between the Judicial Branch, the Legal Research Institute (IIJ) at the University of Costa Rica, and the State of the Nation Program. Published in 2025, it processed 433,043 rulings to identify thematic patterns, jurisprudential trends, and frequencies of constitutional matters over three decades, constituting the first documented application of data science to legal research in Costa Rica.

Verified results

433,043 rulings analyzed; first documented application of data science to legal research in Costa Rica.

Context

A three-way partnership of the Judicial Branch, UCR and the State of the Nation Program. The model of cooperation with public academia is replicable elsewhere, but to date is unique in Costa Rica.

Official source

https://www.ucr.ac.cr/noticias/2025/07/09/la-inteligencia-artificial-analiza-de-manera-automatica-sentencias-de-la-sala-cuarta.html

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