On May 4^th, the United States Supreme Court made history when they heard arguments by phone and allowed the public to listen in for the very first time. After initially postponing the cases, justices decided to argue virtually, a new decision for many courts as COVID-19 disrupted regular operations.

Virtual courtrooms were already an emerging technology, and now they are more important than ever as these courts attempt to adjust to the new normal.

Read on to delve deeper into motivations for shifting to virtual courtrooms and tips for ensuring the longevity of the AV installation.

Why Are Virtual Courtrooms So Important?

Perhaps seeing initial popularity due to COVID-19 demand and the backlog of cases generated during the pandemic, virtual courtrooms are more than a stop-gap solution. A virtual courtroom can both cut costs and increase availability of service hours for courts - music to the ears of any business, even governments. More flexibility in these areas can help facilities run smoothly and increase the number of cases they can process in a day, both in this pandemic and beyond.

“We don’t know when normal operations will commence. Equipping courtrooms to operate virtually is a first step toward the ‘new normal’, ”Legrand | AV Senior Solutions Engineer Brian Retzlaff said. “The most common issue we will need to overcome is how can the users on the other end of the video call ensure good quality back to the courtroom?”

It is important to realize decisions made in courtrooms can have very substantial effects on the people involved. The quality of the video and audio matter. Selecting cameras with the right range of zoom to properly view documents and evidence, as well as audio to properly pick up sound from the needed range, are critical to ensuring a quality experience for everyone involved.

How to Futureproof a Virtual Courtroom

“This is the disruption that our industry needed, even if it wasn’t the disruption that our industry wanted,” Chief Justice Bridget McCormack of the Michigan Supreme Court recently told Bloomberg. “ “We’re going to be able to take the best of what we’re learning with us,”

We saw plenty of ‘knee-jerk reaction’ installations over the course of the pandemic. As states are beginning to reopen, we’re seeing a very different design process unfold. Universities are building permanently hybrid classrooms to accommodate in-person and e-learning simultaneously. Courtrooms are no different. By making smart decisions now, your AV equipment will prove to be useful far beyond the pandemic.

“While it is impossible to predict the future, we can tell computer-based video collaboration is going to be an essential part. Gearing equipment purchases with standards-based USB connectivity will help ensure compatibility with new versions of video collaboration software, which is inevitably going to be released,” Retzlaff said. “Strongly consider the use of equipment which is based on standard cables, standard drivers, and most importantly standard protocols. Legrand | AV’s Vaddio brand is most notable for their efforts to make systems which use standard-based cables, drivers, and protocols while having systems that are on the network and easy to remotely manage. This helps guarantee as much as possible the equipment will be future ready.”

Taking these solutions on the go by loading the necessary AV components on a mobile cart solution provides maximum flexibility. If the conference moves to chambers, the cart can move to chambers. If a particular case requires a 40X zoom camera to view the evidence, that setup can be provided. It’s a simple way to ensure the right gear is available for the case and location at hand.

Download the Virtual Courtroom Mobile Cart Flyer

At Legrand | AV, we are dedicated to keeping people connected no matter where they are. If you have any video conferencing, live streaming or connectivity questions, our solutions engineers are ready to help. Email us at av.solutions@legrand.com with the details of your project. For more of the latest COVID-19 information, please access the FAQs at www.legrandav.com/COVID.