The 5th District's APJ, Brad Hill, has sent the following letter:
I wanted to update you on our plans here at the Fifth District as to additional options for oral arguments in the coming months. When I contacted you in July of last year, I reported that we were considering what our court can do to make oral arguments more accessible for all of you. As I mentioned then, the past two years of the pandemic taught us that there is indeed no “one size fits all approach.” In a perfect world, I think we would all agree that an oral argument with all of the justices and attorneys in the courtroom is ideal. With that said, logistical and cost considerations make it imperative that we provide as many options to you as possible, utilizing the latest in modern technology.
For years we have provided the option of telephonic appearances. The results of the survey (below) certainly demonstrate to us that attorneys arguing their cases here at the Fifth would like the video option to remain. We got the message and have just completed modifications to our courtroom to allow for parties, in whole or in part, to appear remotely via video. With rare exception, the justices will be in court for each session. When you receive letters from us asking if you would like oral argument, you will now be given the additional option to appear via video. We plan to start this new procedure for oral arguments set on the May calendar. We now have the capability to have attorneys in court and via video on the same case. If you are arguing in court, you will be able to see the party appearing via video. If you are arguing remotely, you will be able to see all the justices and the opposing party. The justices will have individual monitors on the bench and will be able to view all parties.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience as we worked through the challenges of the past two years. I want to also thank our staff here at the Fifth for their dedication and support during this difficult time. Our Admin and IT team spent countless hours assisting attorneys and parties as we all navigated this new process –pivoting on a dime to video court proceedings in March of 2020. We never missed an argument during this time and it was due to their efforts – and yours – that made this work. Thank you.
If you have any questions, or suggestions, please let me know. We know that there will always be room for improvement and we’ll be doing our best to adapt along the way.
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