Computers In The Court

I served on a jury this week. That’s one reason why I haven’t been seen on Twitter, email or blogs much this week. Serving on a jury was an educational experience for me. One of the interesting things I learned was how much modern court rooms use computers and other modern technology. Computers and monitors were everywhere. (NH District Court Technology Page)

Court rooms on TV and the movies have a lot of empty space. They typically have two tables for attorneys with a lot of room on all sides and between them and the bench where the judge sits. In the court room I was in there were four large tables with two podiums and a good sized work station in front of the judge’s bench where the court reporter and occasionally the deputy clerk of the court work. There is not a lot of room to maneuver. There are however computer and TV screens everywhere.

Every table and desk seems to have a flat screen monitor. The lawyer’s desks, the judge’s bench, and the clerk’s desks. The jury box has two very large monitors in the railing/wall that separates them from the rest of the court room. There are even wall mounted monitors for court observers. All of this is tied to a Presentation Display System (PDS). This system is used to display evidence of various types to trial participants. There is no passing around of pictures; no setting up  of screens and projectors for videos; and no messy setting up of tape recorders for audio clips. Every thing is done by computer from any of the work stations.

The court has wi-fi so the judge and attorneys can communicate using their computers. The judge  may use the computer on the bench to look up points of law, communicate with his clerks but he can also watch the court reporter’s transcript in real time.

But actually court use is not limited to the court room and trial. There are computers involved in selecting jurors, tracking cases, filing documents, and just about every aspect of the process I have looked at.

It seems like every time I get a closer look at almost any business area, government area or any other organization for the first time I find computers in new and often unexpected ways. I see this as continuing for a long time to come. Will this bring development jobs? I imagine so.