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Courts of the Future

NCJ Number
130431
Journal
ABA Journal Volume: 77 Dated: (June 1991) Pages: 74-78
Author(s)
J Copen
Date Published
1991
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Computer programs being used in courts today allow attorneys and judges to retrieve docket information, track cases, obtain access to opinions, and use optical imaging and video conferencing.
Abstract
These innovations are improving the speed of court operations and paperwork. The Computer Integrated Courtroom began in 1983 with the development of modified stenographic equipment that could translate machine shorthand within seconds and display the translation on courtroom video screens. The system now allows judges and lawyers to display transcripts of depositions or testimony from earlier trials on their computer screens. Network database systems are also being used experimentally. Electronic filing is also being used; it eliminates the need to go to courthouses to file documents. Federal courts have been slow to automate, mostly because of their size, although some have gone online. These innovations and ones under development will greatly reduce the time that attorneys spend in court, except for trials. Photographs and description of American Bar Association technology programs