After a trial in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year illustrated how extremists can weaponize the courtroom to amplify hate, advocates and legal experts, including two former judges, are sharing what jurists can do to prevent it from happening in the future.

Defendants abusing the system in this way has always been an issue, but social media and technology have exacerbated the problem, said Amy Spitalnick, executive director of the nonprofit Integrity First for America, which represented plaintiffs.