The Juror and Courtroom of the Future

Abstract

Litigation and trial practice today reflect the same increasing use of and dependence on digital, screen-based, multimedia communication that characterizes the culture as a whole. More evidence and arguments in brick-and-mortar courtrooms are being presented digitally, on screens. At the same time, dispute resolution is moving online and hence being conducted through screen-based interfaces. We can expect this convergence to accelerate in coming years. This chapter explores both trends, tracing the movement from screens in court to courts on the screen, from video trials and videoconferencing to trials in virtual reality. Practical and evidentiary concerns are discussed. Finally, the chapter sketches a portrait of jurors in the digital and Internet age and explains how the law is addressing, and should address, their changing needs and demands.

Keywords: courts, technology, trial practice, digital media