The Supreme Court of Georgia held its first-ever virtual oral arguments with only Chief Justice Melton in the courtroom, with all parties connected via Zoom video, and streamed live, on April 20, 2020.
Video is better than audio. There should be public access. Attorneys should be allowed to have practice sessions, and judges should still wear their robes.
Those are a handful of recommendations that a the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers recently released as part of a list of best practices aimed at helping attorneys, judges and court staff hold oral argument sessions remotely. The suggestions are set to provide guidance to the legal industry as it begins to navigate virtual argument sessions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shut down courtrooms across the country and caused lingering health concerns over in-person court proceedings.
