Have you tried Zoom? Here’s how Fresno County Superior Court is using it
Fresno County Superior Court has begun arraigning dozens of defendants using the popular video conferencing app Zoom as a way to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus.
The court has been closed for three weeks amid concerns the crowded courtrooms could become a breeding ground for COVID-19, the highly contagious strain of the virus. To help move the wheels of justice forward and protect public health, Fresno County Presiding Judge Arlan L. Harrell authorized the use of video conferencing.
Lawyers, legal advocates and court officials said the system appears to be running well. Wednesday was the first day it was used.
“Though the process is new, we anticipate continued success,” said Suzanne Abi-Rached, Court Division manager.
The virtual courtroom works like this: The in-custody defendant (along with an interpreter, if necessary) is taken to one of the courtooms in the North Annex Jail where a camera and video monitor is set up. The judge, defense attorney, prosecutor and probation officer appear from their own offices, but are seen in panels on each participant’s video screen.
Prior to the hearing, each of the participants is given a meeting code and instructions to join. At the beginning of the session, they are brought together in a virtual setting to get the names of all who will be appearing and to be given a brief orientation. Then they wait for their case to be called, Abi-Rached said.
The court called 260 cases on Wednesday in the two courtrooms that are open. Officials are also well aware of the security concerns raised by critics concerned that hackers could get into the system.
Abi-Rached said the court is using all the current best practices for Zoom meeting security, which includes a required password to join the session.
“Once parties have joined, they are kept in a waiting queue or ‘virtual lobby’ and are only admitted into the ‘virtual courtroom’ by the judicial assistant who is monitoring the Zoom session,” she said.
Attorney: ‘Smoother than I expected’
Irene Luna, assistant chief defense attorney for the Alternate Defense Office, has appeared remotely five times this week. She hadn’t used the app before and was slightly anxious about it, but she said it was very user friendly.
“The process was a lot smoother than I expected,” Luna said. “But I still prefer dealing with a client in person. It is hard to develop a rapport with someone through video.”
Luna and others said they see the potential for using the video technology even after the state’s order over social distancing is lifted.
Sabrina Ashjian, a former prosecutor and public defender, has been encouraging the courts to use this type of video technology to help the system run more effectively. For example, every inmate who is being arraigned must be transported by the jail staff to the courthouse, where they sit and wait for their case to be called – and then transported back after they are done.
“This really isn’t new technology and does not have to be limited in times of a pandemic,” Ashjian said. “I think we are really on the precipice of how court will be operated in the future.”
Abi-Rached said, “Given the efficiencies available through its use, we expect some changes to court operations in the future.”
The court is expected to resume regular operations on May 1, but that is subject to change.
