Court by email? Online Judging? Australia says in some cases, yes. Soon select court cases will be tried online in Australia, with lawyers making their cases via email under a new system dubbed Justice Link.

Justice Link aims to streamline the court process. It will be rolled out over the next year all over Australia and is designed to take care of an over crowded court system, reduce hours spent inside a courtroom, and generally make the entire process much simpler.

It takes into account the fact that many types of court cases could be just as easily resolved without all of the pomp and circumstance involved in trying a case in court. The lawyers will use a bulletin board system to argue their cases, then the bulletins they post will be forward to the judge handling their case via automated email.

“While the time-honoured traditions of our legal system will remain intact, JusticeLink will streamline the process, saving millions of dollars in costs and countless hours spent in the courtroom,” Hatzistergos said.

The system has been in test mode for a few months now, with the courts already trying 167 cases online successfully. The first place to receive the official system will be New South Wales District Court, scheduled for installation and activation on or about February 11. The types of cases allotted the new system include commitment trials, commitment hearings, preliminary hearings of all types and bail hearings.
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