Shortly after the governor ordered a stay-at-home order in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, the New Jersey criminal bench and bar were on the cutting edge of virtual court proceedings, a moderator told attendees at the Criminal Law Bench Bar Conference Friday at the NJSBA 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting.
Attorney James J. Gerrow moderated a panel featuring Passaic County Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez and attorneys Robert J. Brass and Brandon D. Minde.
More than 23,000 virtual proceedings have been conducted as of Thursday, with more than 189,000 participants—and most have been in criminal courts, he said.
New Jersey has 230 virtual courts, with each vicinage allotted a certain number.
Mohammed took attendees through how a virtual courtroom works, yet stressed litigants can still use a telephone and email. He lauded the concept of breakout rooms on Zoom, which enable attorneys to speak privately to the judge in his chambers, to confer with another attorney or a client, or to temporarily remove a disruptive person from the courtroom.
“The only thing that’s missing is a sheriff officer,” he said.
Mohammed compared New Jersey’s speedy conversion to virtual courtrooms to President John F. Kennedy’s promise to land a man on the moon within 10 years.
“Our chief justice told us we’re going to go virtual. Folks, within three days, 95% of the Judiciary was connected remotely. That is remarkable. Not only were we told we had to get to Mars, but we were to get to Mars and have all communication established,” he said.
“These numbers would not be there if it wasn’t for the Bar Association,” Mohammed said.
“The attorneys have embraced this technology. It shows how remarkable our legal minds are when an issue comes up. That’s what we’re trained for, we are trained to resolve crisis. This is a credit to our Bar.”