Social Media and the Court

I didn't get to go to this year's Court Technology conference, but I have been reading and watching what went on, including that the keynote speaker made the case for the use of social media like Twitter, blogs and Facebook by the courts.

One of the democratizing consequences of the web is that even without funds to pay for going and staying at such gatherings one can hear CTC 2009 Keynoter, NPR Justice Correspondent Ari Shapiro, say that Twitter will soon announce new court opinions and public interest and transparency demands that courts make use of these new technologies.

The video replay of Shapiro's presentation is on the CTC 2009 Blog at http://pluginpowerup.org/ through the National Center for State Court's CTC Conference Video Streams at http://www.icmelearning.com/ctc/

This year's conference program, The Role of Social Networking Tools for the Courts, continued with speakers defining and describing three of these new technologies: blogs, Twitter and Facebook.

Among the reasons cited as to why Courts should use these web2.0 products:
people trust the more personal word of mouth information,

people are already talking about the court, awareness in order to avoid pitfalls,

people are replacing traditional media with social media and

people build relationships with the legal community through engagement with technology.
You see the thread - people.
Blogs are another way to engage people and bring new audiences for court information resulting in a better understanding of the courts by the public. An advantage of blogs is they're not as static as a website and can be updated quickly and frequently and can put a more personal face on the court. The Las Vegas Clark County blog was presented as good example of a court blog.

Twitter was described a great way to listen to the world around you. It allows for the broadcast of real time announcements and can be used to drive awareness to other sites and tools. Presenters even mentioned that liked the way our court the Superior Court of Fulton County Georgia had announcements and real time information on Twitter http://twitter.com/FultonCourtInfo that linked to the court blog http://www.insidecourt.blogspot.com/. and our website http://www.fultoncourt.org/. :)

Facebook can present the courts perspective, discuss and listen. New Jersey courts are on Facebook where they have links to news, photos from court events, announcements and links to YouTube videos.
Judges, court administrators and clerks of court should make awareness and self education about social media a priority.

Each group should monitor the technologies for discussions of court cases or judicial issues. by being aware of the use of social media by jurors and witnesses judges can develop better media access policies. Court administrators can use their knowledge to develop better social media policies for staff and create outreach programs that increase court transparency.

PR guys and gals should add social media to their press contact strategies.

Court clerk’s can use social media to post announcements, spotlight frequently asked questions or create a virtual tour of the court’s work flow.

The very best way to learn about these new technologies, the experts say, is to jump right in, sign up and see how it all works.

Fulton Superior Court judges to work 3 days without pay

Fulton County Superior Court judges have voted to work three days without pay in response to the state’s fiscal crisis.

Chief Judge Doris Downs said the court’s judges will voluntarily reduce their salary by one day each month for the rest of this year.

“This is not a furlough, it is a voluntary reduction in pay” explained Chief Judge Downs. The Courts will remain open for business as usual.

“It is important to this bench that the public see no cuts in service,” she said. “The only cut will be in the judges’ salaries.”

The Fulton Superior Court bench adopted this cost-saving measure because the Georgia Constitution forbids judges’ salaries from being cut, but it does not prevent them from returning a portion of their pay.

Downs said that the Fulton Superior Court judges hope their action will prevent further cuts which will impact the Court’s ability to hear and decide cases.

The days that the judges are forfeiting their pay are October 9; November 25 and December 23. Those days were selected because they coincide with furlough days adopted by some other jurisdictions.

Fulton Superior Court is the state’s largest and busiest trial court with more than 30,000 cases filed annually.

Reducing Family Violence

This week our court marked the beginning of a partnership with two volunteer groups who are seeking to reduce the toll of domestic violence.

Since February more than 1,600 people have come to the Safe Families Office set up in Courtroom 6G.

Inside they have found help. Help in overcome their fear. Help in taking steps to remove themselves from the constant threat of violence.

One woman came seeking a temporary protective order from her husband, who was at home with their children.

She told the volunteers in Safe Families Office that the night before, distraught over the loss of his job her husband became enraged as they argued and pulled a gun on her. Safe Families volunteers quickly helped her obtain the necessary order, but it was what they afterwards that made the real difference.

As they do with all Safe Families clients, a volunteer walked with the woman through our sprawling court complex to the Fulton County Sherriff’s office to be sure the Sherriff had everything needed to serve the order. Because the woman’s husband had a gun and because the victim suspected there may be violence when she returned, the Safe Families volunteer arranged for Sheriff’s deputies to accompany her home.

As she had feared, her husband brandished the gun when she arrived and held their children hostage. A SWAT team was called and eventually the standoff was resolved without anyone being injured.

But what could have happened to that woman and all the others is what keeps Safe Families volunteers from the Partnership Against Domestic Violence and Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers coming back day after day.

And, while all of the stories don't end as well, our Court is proud to support the work of these dedicated volunteers.

Our court was one of the first to establish a dedicated Family Court to address the issues unique to domestic litigation.

Family Court , begun in July 1998, includes legal, psychological, and social services professionals who help resolve multiple family disputes in a coordinated, non-confrontational, and speedy manner. In 2008, Family Court heard more than 5,000 cases. More than 22,500 people called the Court's Family Law Information Center for assistance and more than 12,200 people came to the center for assistance, including free lawyer consultations.

Family Court’s free Internet-based I-CAN! program helps self-represented individuals complete legal forms in domestic cases.