Virtual Criminal Jury Trial Gets Texas Test—iPads Included

An Austin, Texas, court will begin what it says is the first U.S. virtual criminal jury trial today in a closely-watched experiment brought on by the coronavirus pandemic that’s requiring creative solutions.

Six Jurors, iPads: Potential jurors in the misdemeanor traffic case who lack their own hardware are being provided court-issued iPads. The six jurors selected to serve will hear evidence in one room on Zoom and the public can watch on YouTube. Jurors will deliberate in a separate virtual room.

Best Practices: Court administrators hope the experiment will help them “be able to release best practices and some standards ...