Online Training on Court Tech Response to the Pandemic

https://www.ncsc.org/

There are multiple training events and podcasts on technology and management responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The NCSC is hosting an online seminar on Tuesday, April 7 at 3:00 PM EDT. 

Details on that and others are listed below:

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CCJ-COSCA Pandemic Rapid Response Team’s remote hearing webinar

REGISTER HERE for Tuesday, April 7, 2020 Webinar

State courts are using video technology to conduct hearings remotely, but the state court administrators and chief justices who serve on CCJ-COSCA’s Pandemic Rapid Response Team (RRT) urge more courts to use it because they say, it will help courts continue to provide access to justice—and because it will be around long after the pandemic ends.

The RRT is hosting a free webinar starting at 3 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 7, 2020 to learn how to establish remote hearings. Register here. During the webinar, attendees will hear from state court administrators who have implemented remote hearings as well as from judges who are conducting them.

To date, four states and Puerto Rico have mandated that their courts implement virtual hearings while 30 other states and Washington, D.C., urge their courts to use them. As of Friday afternoon, Texas has conducted 3,429 proceedings with 26,513 participants.

New York, which began using video technology last month to conduct essential court proceedings, continues to give more of its state courts the ability to do that. Starting today, the Eighth and Ninth Judicial Districts – in the southeast and northwest parts of the state -- began virtual court operations. 

“We are now providing the ability for all court users to appear remotely, thereby reducing the risk of spreading the coronavirus," said Kathie Davidson, Ninth Judicial District administrative judge.

In Miami Dade Circuit Court, criminal court judges are conducting remote hearings. In a recent hearing to determine if a defendant should be allowed to await trial at his home, only the judge and defense attorney were in the courtroom. The defendant attended from a jail conference room, the prosecutor from his back patio, the lead detective from his parked police SUV and the alleged victim from her home, her face obscured.

"As much as everyone is on hold, we want to get matters taken care of," said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Nushin Sayfie told the Miami Herald. "We want to get cases disposed of properly ... we're doing everything we can with the understanding that we're asking for more patience."

Court Leader Podcast on Coping with the Crisis

Our good friend Pete Kiefer hosted an all-star group of panelists for a podcast recorded on April 2, 2020, on Coronavirus: How Courts are Coping with the Crisis.  The participants were”

• Mark Weinberg, Court Administrator for the Florida Seventh Judicial Circuit
• Former Court Administrator, Zenell Brown, Esq.
• Liz Rambo is the Trial Court Administrator for Lane County Circuit Court, Oregon
• Rick Pierce is the Judicial Programs Administrator of the Judicial District Operations and Programs Department, Pennsylvania
• Angie VanSchoick is the Court Administrator with the Town of Breckenridge Municipal Court, Colorado
• Tracy “T.J.” BeMent is the District Court Administrator for the 10th Judicial Administrative District of Georgia

Click here for the podcast

England & Wales Courts Report on Skype Trial

Via a April 6, 2020 Law Gazette article by Ms. CatherineBaksi:

“The first ever trial conducted entirely by Skype, less than 24 hours after the prime minister’s ‘stay at home’ direction, has yielded valuable lessons for those involved in remote hearings.”

“The three-day Court of Protection hearing involving a long-awaited life-and-death decision could not have been more important for the family at its heart. It concerned a man in his seventies, who cannot be named due to reporting restrictions, who was severely mentally and physically debilitated after suffering a stroke in 2016.”

Tech Republic Tips on Web Conferencing

Two articles from the Tech Republic website on how to best use Zoom and Microsoft Teams

13 things to avoid doing on Zoom

by N.F. Mendoza in CXO  on April 3, 2020

Experts weigh in: Should you use Zoom filters, how to best light yourself, and how not to get hacked, among many other tips.

10 best Microsoft Teams tips for business pros

by Macy Bayern in CXO  on April 3, 2020

Many organizations are opting for online collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams for remote work. Here's how to get the most out of the service.

Last, good luck to all our court friends!