Tip the Scales

What happens in Vegas!

Las Vegas is now home to the nation’s most technologically advanced courthouse.  The new Regional Justice Center contains 40 courtrooms, each equipped with cameras, microphones, intelligent mixers, evidence presentation systems and videoconferencing technology.  The “smart courtrooms”digitally record proceedings and allow for dynamic multimedia presentations with little to no set up time.
The average time spent in court on any given case drops about 30% with efficient use of this new technology according to surveys.  In more complex cases, going paperless can cut actual court time in half.  All that time spent shuffling through exhibits and tinkering with outdated presentation methods adds up and can be quite costly.  Las Vegas is raising the bar when it comes to trial efficiency through technology.
In these new courtrooms, court reporters are no longer responsible for taking down a stenographic transcript; instead, “court recorders” monitor a voice-activated recording system that automatically adjusts for the position and volume of the speaker!  No matter who is speaking, or where they are located in the courtroom, their voice is clearly recorded and can be played back at a moment’s notice.
The 17-story, $185 Million facility consolidates District, Justice, Municipal, and Supreme Appellate Courts and is wired with an optical fiber system which allows for functional digital recording off all proceedings as well as real time networking.  The courthouse is linked to the district attorney’s office and to county detention facilities.  Arraignments can be done remotely via this network, eliminating the need for costly and potentially dangerous transportation of inmates to and from the courthouse.  Evidence is now stored electronically, making retrieval easy and convenient.
Las Vegas is ranked among the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States, and its new Regional Justice Center was built to accommodate that growth.  Parties can expect speedier trials, attorneys can expect more accurate and accessible records, and jurors can expect more easy-to-digest multimedia.  No more chalkboards and easels, lets hope practice that happens in Vegas but doesn’t stay in Vegas…