Technology has seeped into just about everything we do and now it could become more involved with the way our country’s judiciary works. When a witness takes the stand in a court case they are sworn in before a jury, then taking the stand next to the judge.However in the future, the witness might not even have to be in the room, replaced instead with this: a hologram of the witness. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Technology has seeped into just about everything we do, and now it could become more involved with the way our country's judiciary works as well.
00:07When a witness takes the stand in a court case, they're sworn in before a jury, then sitting down next to the judge.
00:12However, in the future, those who testify might not even have to be in the room, replaced instead with this, a hologram of the witness.
00:19This video was captured during a mock trial with a real judge, featuring testimony from a hologram witness.
00:25And I see that the defendant has pulled up in front of me to block my car so I can't go anywhere.
00:31And that she has also gotten out of the car and that she's charging at me with a brick.
00:35Here's law professor Frederick Lederer to explain.
00:38In the legal system, we place a great deal of weight on what is called demeanor evidence.
00:43That means the ability of a judge or a juror to determine whether, for instance, a witness is telling the truth, in whole or in part.
00:52So this new holographic method provides jurors and judges with a better look at the witness versus, say, contemporary video conference methods.
00:59But there's one relatively large hurdle with regards to courts actually using this.
01:03The American Constitution includes the Confrontation Clause, where those being prosecuted have a right to confront their accusers.
01:10Meaning facing a video hologram of an accuser might not legally suffice.