Courtroom for the New Millennium

The Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York operates Courtroom 2000 which features advanced courtroom technology.

The Courtroom:

-- provides litigants with state-of-the-art technology, allowing cases to proceed in the most efficient and effective manner.

-- provides the Bar, Judges and court staff with the latest technological options for the litigation process.

-- serves as a technological laboratory for all courts in the State.

-- provides a training ground for attorneys, Judges, court staff, law students and court reporting students.

Courtroom 2000 features the following:

Real-time Court Reporting Facilities: Allows for instantaneous voice-to-text transcription, word indexing in transcripts, exhibit indexing and paperless transcripts.

Electronic Transcripts: By means of special software, transcripts can be delivered securely by e-mail with enhanced viewing, mouse-click searching, and indexing capabilities.

Presentation of Electronic Evidence: Attorneys are able to present evidence to the Judge and jury through a wireless communicator or in the form of digitized evidence on CD-ROM by video monitors conveniently placed around the courtroom. A presenting attorney can "zoom in" on a portion of an item of electronic evidence on screen. A "kill switch" on the bench will permit the Judge to turn off monitors until a particular item of evidence is admitted or if the Judge determines that certain images should not be made available to the jury. Digitized video depositions will be displayable along with synchronization to real-time transcripts, greatly facilitating examination of prior deposition testimony and trial testimony.

An Interactive "Whiteboard": This replaces the conventional blackboard. Presentation of drawings or writings can be made in large format on video monitors in the courtroom using a sophisticated touch-sensitive screen. An attorney or witness can highlight aspects of a document of particular interest by writing over or drawing on an image of it and can store the notations on a computer. The screen interacts with virtually any computer-based material. Hard copies of the displayed items can be obtained from a color laser printer.

Touch Screen Monitor: Located at the witness box, this monitor and a connected light pen can be used by a witness to mark pieces of evidence for illustrative purposes. An expert witness, for instance, can mark drawings on a display to explain testimony clearly and dramatically for the Judge or jury.

Animation: Computer-generated animation may be displayed on monitors for the Judge and jury. Attorneys can present animated explanations for events, functions, constructions and the like to supplement the testimony of expert and fact witnesses. Such presentations can have a powerful impact in helping finders of fact to understand complex events, processes and bodily functions.

Customized Integrated Electronic Podium: Replacing the traditional podium, the electronic podium serves the normal function of permitting attorneys to rest papers during examination in the course of questioning but also does much more -- it holds equipment used to present evidence electronically in the Courtroom: a light pen for annotation by counsel on items of evidence displayed on monitors to the Judge and jury; a bar code pen; a flat monitor on which the attorney can see the item of evidence being displayed to the Judge or the jury; a video cassette recorder; a wireless communicator that projects items of proof on monitors; and a visual image printer to capture any frame from a video or still source for preservation purposes.

Personal Computer Docking Stations: Located at counsel's table, the witness box, the bench, and the podium, these connections permit the presentation or analysis of evidence by witness or counsel. Attorneys will be able to receive real-time transcription and to communicate electronically with locations outside the courthouse, such as their law offices, while the proceedings are taking place or during recesses.

Video Cassette Recorder: Connected to the evidence presentation system, the recorder facilitates presentation and playback of taped evidence.

Component Computer: This computer is specifically designed to handle the processing of all information and to run software needed in the Courtroom.

Other Equipment: The courtroom is equipped with a portable infrared acoustical system and an LED display system.

The Courtroom accommodates Commercial Division cases and cases from outside the Division that would benefit from access to this equipment.