Virtual Hearings Put Children, Abuse Victims at Ease in Court

The 8-year-old showed off her fancy braids, cowboy boots, and favorite stuffed animals over Zoom via an iPad in her grandmother’s home.

On the other end, Cass County, Mich., Family Court administrator Carol Bealor asked what she likes to do with her mom and her dad. Sing, the girl said. Proclaiming her love for the “Descendants” movie series, she lip-synced a song from the film while dancing and twirling atop a chair.

Slowly, Bealor worked up to why they were there: she had to ask the girl which parent she wanted to live with. With that warm-up, she spoke “with ...