Spring
1999
Projects in Progress
Courtroom 23
Orange County, Florida
by Lin Walker
On May 14, 1999, the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orange County, Florida formally opened "Courtroom 23," a leading-edge, technologically advanced, integrated courtroom. The project, as visualized by Chief Judge Perry, had its beginnings in March 1997 after he toured Courtroom 21, a joint project of the National Center of State Courts and the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia.
High-tech design work began on the Robert A. Barker Courtroom (Courtroom 23), located on the 23rd floor of the new Orange County Courthouse, in June 1998. The court contracted with Applied Legal Technology (ALT) to design the integrated courtroom and implement the latest technologies available. These technologies include video teleconferencing, Internet and remote broadcast, evidence presentation, digital and real-time court reporting, and legal research. When the 20 flat screen monitors were placed throughout the courtroom, great care was taken to ensure that the courtroom maintained its judiciary dignity and decorum and remained aesthetically pleasing.
A voice-activated video system is directly connected to all jail sites located in the circuit. This system will accommodate remote testimony from any ISDN site in the world. The video system also will support broadcasting high-profile trials via the Internet. A digital evidence presentation system, designed by Doar Communications, is centrally stored and operated from a podium. Highlights include a document camera, videocassette, illustrator tablet, light pen, visual image printer, laptop connection, and touch screen controls. Real-time court reporting text may be displayed from anywhere in the courtroom. Events are also captured by digital audio technology with For the Record (FTR) software, which monitors, records, transcribes, and annotates the proceedings.
Courtroom 23 is located at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida. Courtroom 23 is featured on the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida's Web site at www.ninja9.net. For more information, contact Matt Benefiel, Court Administrator, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Orange County, Florida, at (407) 836-2051 or Beth Friedman, Doar Communications, at (516) 536-8863 or beth@doar.com.
