It’s Happening

A meme from Arrested Development, Season 3, Episode 1

I think that many of our friends in Court Technology are astounded at the rapid changes that have been implemented in the courts in just the past five weeks?  Today’s post will list a few of the many uses of web and audio conferencing along with the rules and procedures including a terrific website by CTC 2019 keynote speaker Richard Susskind, SCOTUS instituting audio oral arguments available to the public starting in May 2020, Texas Supreme Court arguments, YouTube streaming, and technical guidance, and Michigan’s Virtual Courtroom Task Force report.

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Remote Courts Worldwide Website

https://remotecourts.org/

Richard Suskind, President, Society for Computers and Law introduced their new “Remote Courts” website last month.  He writes:

“As the coronavirus pandemic spreads and courts around the world are closing, this website is designed to help the global community of justice workers - judges, lawyers, court officials, litigants, court technologists - to share their experiences of 'remote' alternatives to traditional court hearings…” 

“The service is a joint effort - hosted by the Society for Computers and Law, funded by the UK LawTech Delivery Panel, and supported by Her Majesty's Courts & Tribunals Service. It also builds on the community that was established at the First International Forum on Online Courts, held in London in December 2018, when 300 people from 26 countries came together to talk about using technology to transform the work of courts. None of us imagined then that we would need to change so quickly. But we must seize the moment and come together to accelerate the development of new ways of continuing to deliver just outcomes for court users.”

It is a terrific one-stop resource on what is happening around the world.  Congratulations.

Online Courts Book Talk

In a related event:  https://hls.harvard.edu/event/virtual-book-talk-richard-susskinds-online-courts-and-the-future-of-justice-with-david-b-wilkins-sjc-chief-justice-ralph-gants/

“Please join the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession for a Virtual Book Launch of Professor Richard Susskind’s latest work, Online Courts and the Future of Justice (Oxford University Press, 2019). Professor Susskind will present key ideas from the book, and we will hear comments from the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Honorable Ralph Gants, as well as the faculty director of the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession, Professor David B. Wilkins.”

Date: April 23, Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time USA
Website: click here to register

SCOTUS to use Audio Conferencing for Oral Arguments

An article in the SCOTUS blog by Amy Howe describes the recent announcement that the Supreme Court of the United States (aka SCOTUS) will hold audio conference arguments starting in May 2020. The article begins:

“It has been one month since the Supreme Court announced on March 16 that, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, it would cancel its March argument session, which was slated to include the disputes over access to President Donald Trump’s financial records. On April 3, the justices announced that their April argument session, which had been scheduled to begin next Monday and run through April 29, had also been postponed. 10 days later, the court made a third announcement: It would hold arguments remotely and, in an unprecedented move, make the live audio of those arguments available to the public.”

The last part is the surprise because live audio has only rarely been done by the Supreme Court.

Texas Supreme Court Zooms into the Future

Not to be outdone, the Texas Supreme Court held their first Zoom web conferenced hearings and provided public access via their YouTube channel.  An article in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper by Chuck Lindel on April 8, 2020, begins:

“The Texas Supreme Court made history Wednesday when its nine justices, sitting in their homes across the state or in their offices in Austin, connected remotely to hear oral arguments in cases that were streamed live on YouTube. 

The justices, wearing robes and seated before a virtual background — a photo of their Austin courtroom — adopted the unprecedented format to follow social distancing requirements and meet via Zoom, a videoconferencing program that streams multiple images onto a single screen using computer web cameras and microphones.”

I particularly liked Mr. Lindell’s next note:

“For the public, the event was streamed live on the court’s YouTube channel, which until Wednesday featured a dusty collection of old speeches and court events.”

And of course, the Texas Supreme Court provides, as usual, full guidance on how they are handling all the technical details of the Zoom hears on their web page at:
https://www.txcourts.gov/programs-services/electronic-hearings-with-zoom/

Michigan Virtual Courtroom Task Force Issues Report 

Michigan's State Court Administrative Office Virtual Courtroom Task Force has posted its report that sets standards, guidelines, and best practices for doing remote proceedings. It contains guidance for all including the court, attorneys, the public and the press.

The full PDF report is available for viewing and download here.