Pressed to keep courts open and functioning while under a state of emergency, judges in Tennessee have embraced new technologies to continue to hear emergency cases and keep dockets moving forward. Traditionally, court proceedings in Tennessee are held in person with judges, attorneys, defendants, witnesses, court reporters, interpreters, juries, bailiffs, and others leading to crowds of ten to several hundred people in the courtroom at once. Bringing the justice system to a halt was not an option so, armed with laptops, webcams, smartphones, and hotspots, judges turned to technology.

Very few judges had the ability to go mobile before March 13, 2020, the day the Tennessee Supreme Court issued its first order suspending most in-person proceedings.

"As soon as the Supreme Court issued its Order, we were off and running to ensure all our Judges had both the hardware and software that they needed for remote hearings in order to guarantee that constitutional rights and emergency hearings were heard as if there were no pandemic," Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate said.

Through tremendous efforts of the Administration Office of the Courts Technology Team, State of Tennessee Strategic Technology Solutions, and county information technology teams, dozens of laptops, VPNs, Zoom licenses, and WebEx accounts have been installed across the state. By the end of the first week, more than half of the judges across the state had expanded their use of video conferencing to reduce the need for in-person hearings.

"The citizens of Tennessee can be assured that the Judiciary is continuing to efficiently and creatively provide justice for all," Director Tate said.

While the stories of innovation in the face of crisis are too numerous to count, below are examples from around the court system.