Virtual courtrooms must continue post-pandemic, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht said in promoting the efficiency of remote proceedings and urging the Legislature to act on measures that support the practice.
“Virtual trials will continue to play a role in the new normal as a more cost-effective convenient way for parties to present their case,” Hecht said Tuesday in his biennial State of the Judiciary address.
Many proceedings can be conducted remotely, but jury trials in felonies, other serious criminal cases and complex civil cases will still be in person, he said.
“As vaccinations increase so will the number ...