Does Claude dream of electric gavels? A federal case with Kansas connections sets an AI precedent.

By: Max McCoy

Outlets: Kansas Reflector

Published: May 10, 2026

Words: 2,178

Last Updated: 2 months, 2 weeks ago

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Brad Heppner is guilty.

That’s what a New York City jury decided recently. But the legacy of Heppner’s federal case is likely not to be his conviction, but the judge’s landmark opinion that AI legal advice isn’t privileged like attorney-client communication.

I had hoped never to write about Heppner again because his story is downright grubby. It’s the kind of cautionary tale that future generations of Kansans will read (if Kansas and history books …

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