Digital justice: Interactions and rituals in the virtual courtroom

Abstract

Courts have increasingly made use of video technologies to allow witnesses and defendants to take part in hearings. This use increased dramatically as a result of COVID-19. Not only did individuals appear on screens in physical courtrooms, but courts themselves sometimes went virtual. We examine what happens to interactions and rituals when the physical courtroom disappears. We compare the standard form of video conference based on isolating participants into boxes in a gallery, with an alternative approach, the metaverse court, which brings participants together into a shared space.