RTÉ Brainstorm – Why have Irish courts been slow to move online during the crisis?
Whitaker Institute member Dr Rónán Kennedy, Technology and Governance cluster leader, has written a new article for RTÉ Brainstorm. The piece explores the courts delayed response to moving online during the Covid19 Pandemic.
Why have Irish courts been slow to move online during the crisis?
Opinion: a lack of infrastructure, inexperience with online tools and compliance with the Constitution have meant a delay in online sittings
As Ireland adjusts to the challenge of life with the coronavirus, there is one essential aspect of the administration of the country that requires attention. How can the courts continue to fulfil their vital role while respecting the boundaries set down by the Constitution? As anyone who has been in a busy courtroom will know, these are ideal locations for the virus to spread.
Courts in other jurisdictions have begun to defer any non-urgent business and to move hearings online, but approaches have not been uniform. The Society for Computers and Law has established a website collating experiences. For example, Northern Ireland has condensed its sittings to a small number of courthouses and is dealing with matters by video where possible. England and Wales is responding in a similar fashion, with some trials being held entirely virtually. Scotland has also limited its sittings, but does not seem to have moved online. Continue reading…