Virtual hearings will likely continue in Georgia after the pandemic ends. | Sora Shimazaki/Pexels
Virtual hearings will likely continue in Georgia after the pandemic ends. | Sora Shimazaki/Pexels
Virtual court hearings held as a result of the pandemic have proven to be cost- and time-effective and may continue indefinitely.
The court still has a backlog of cases due to the pandemic, and virtual hearings will help address the issue, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice David Nahmias said during an address at the state Capitol.
"Virtual proceedings are one of the lessons learned from the pandemic that will be used long after it dissipates," Nahmias said.
Nahmias said there is an extensive backlog of important criminal cases that are highly likely to go to trial, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. The state will utilize over $100 million in federal money to help with this backlog. Nahmias urges more counties to help out with the cause by providing some of their own federal funds as well.
The pandemic forced most courts in Georgia to embrace video conferencing for proceedings, Nahmias said. He firmly believes courts should continue using this technology going forward, even after COVID-19 has been quelled.
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