The Mesa tribune
5/11/1997

Courtroom Goes High-Tech for Trial Computer system to Display Evidence for Symington Jury
By Edward Gately

Mesa Tribune

Gov. Fife Symington’s federal trial will give participants a glimpse into the future of courtroom justice.

U.S. District Judge Roger Strand’s courtroom is the only fully computer-integrated courtroom in Arizona. The computer system was developed and provided by Gilbert-based inData Corp.

After entering the courtroom, the first sight is of two large video monitors facing the public viewing area. Many smaller video screens scattered throughout the area are used by lawyers and jurors.

The equipment changes the look of the courtroom. Gone is the sterile look, replaced by a more businesslike atmosphere of computer monitors, keyboards and plugs sprouting handfuls of computer wire.

"It was designed for a jury's ease of use in viewing a document," said inData marketing director Scott Neeley. "The jurors have their own personal monitor to view the items."

" The system offers advantages to every person involved in the trial, said Merilyn Sanchez, court reporter and courtroom manager."

Also visible will be the court reporter's transcript as it's being written, via a computer monitor.

That will serve as a working notebook for Strand and the attorneys involved in the trial. It can be used as an instant source for motions and rulings, Sanchez said.

But perhaps the most interesting aspects of the systems is Elmo, which looks like a super-sophisticated overhead projector. Elmo puts pictures on a computer screen giving everyone in the room a clear view of all evidence, including documents, pictures and physical evidence.

Elmo works especially well with three-dimensional evidence. For example, a piece of pottery could be shown without the risk of smudging fingerprints, Sanchez said.

"You can identify a particular piece of evidence and display it on those monitors, as opposed to handing people hard-copy documents and having them flip through that information," Neeley said.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys will zoom in on pieces of evidence on display while arguing their cases, Sanchez said.
"an attorney can control how the evidence is displayed and when it is actually brought up," Neeley said. "When you pass hard-copy evidence down the row of jurors, you run the risk of having a juror miss some information because while the attorney’s talking they’re looking at the piece of evidence."

Elmo also works well with maps and attorneys can draw arrows and other markings that can be saved for later viewing, Sanchez said.

The system also allows videotapes to be shown in the courtroom.

As for the public viewing area, nobody will be straining to see what's going on during Symington's trial.

Al documents presented during the trial will be stored in the computer system and can be accessed instantly.

The system is being rented by Strand, the attorneys and court reporters, who pitched in their own money to obtain the technical equipment.

"Judge Strand has been a very strong supporter of technology in the courtroom, to the point of taking a computer course at a junior college," Sanchez said.

Nobody should have a tough time getting used to the system because, "we live in a visual society so people are comfortable seeing evidence in a video format," she said.

Computers are known to crash, but Sanchez said it's unlikely Elmo and company could bring the trial proceedings to a screeching halt.

"We have backup equipment, but any time you use computers, there will be problems," she said.

inData has established 15 computer-integrated courtrooms across the country. A similar, but less extensive system has been established in another federal courtroom in Phoenix.