California Supreme Court to Implement New Video Conferencing System

The Supreme Court of California next month will begin using a new video conferencing service to support remote appearances during oral argument sessions. 

The court will use the Zoom for Government service for counsel who choose to appear remotely beginning Dec. 5 for its oral argument session in Los Angeles.

The court previously used the BlueJeans meeting service, which allowed the court to quickly pivot to virtual oral arguments at the start of the pandemic nearly four years ago. However, Verizon announced they would discontinue the service by early 2024.

In choosing Zoom for Government, the court looked for ease of use, security, and accessibility, said California Supreme Court Clerk and Executive Officer Jorge E. Navarrete. While offering a similar experience as the commercial Zoom platform, Zoom for Government complies with federal government security standards and leverages U.S.-based cloud infrastructure, data centers, and personnel to manage the platform. It also includes in-meeting controls that help government users safeguard their meetings, and it provides accessibility features similar to the previous BlueJeans platform.

Although the court has returned to in-person oral arguments, counsel continues to have the option to appear in person, or remotely via video pursuant to Administrative Order No. 2022-10-05.

The court’s practice of webcasting its oral arguments will remain unchanged, and members of the public will be able to continue to view both live and archived sessions on the California Supreme Court website.