Miscellaneous

YouJudge

By Anne Skove, Esq.

Some judges would only be caught dead on a camera in the courtroom -- Over my dead body say some.

Not Judge James Kimbler and Judge Kovack of the Medina Court of Common Pleas in Ohio. On the court website, Judge Kimbler says I want you to know what is going on in your Medina County Courthouse. He follows up on that promise by using technology.

Judge Kimbler and Judge Kovack are so media-savvy they make your tween look like a luddite. Attorneys (and others) may join the court's e-mail list.

Attorneys may participate in an online pretrial chat.

Blog is their middle name. Inside the Court is a (seemingly outdated) blog hosted by the two judges with video and blog posts. Judge Kimbler has his own blog as well (more up-to-date).

He's even on YouTube! The insidethecourtMCDRC channel features video clips of hearings and other court matters. (See also the Inside the Court Online Edition on the left-hand side of the court's website.)

The court website also has audio jury instructions, the court's daily schedule, local rules, decisions, contact information, etc.

We can't wait to see what they'll try next -- Twitter? Facebook fan page? PDA-friendliness? Stay tuned...this is access to justice of the future.

Full post as published by court-o-rama.org on February 27, 2010 (boomark / email).