The Arkansas Supreme Court will begin this week streaming live video of oral arguments to its website, the court announced today.

Use of the technology will allow people from around the state and the world to watch attorneys argue their cases before the Supreme Court without having to leave their homes or offices and drive to the state Capitol complex, said Chief Justice Jim Hannah.

“We are committed to provide a greater access to justice and to facilitate a better understanding of the judiciary,” Hannah said.

The chief justice, in fact, used the new technology to announce the video stream today, appearing from the state Supreme Court online with the rest of the justices. Court of Appeals judges, attorneys and others, including Gov. Mike Beebe, watched Hanna’s announcement online in another room at the Criminal Justice Center.
The video streaming will begin Thursday when the court convenes at 9 a.m.

Along with showing the oral arguments live, the video will be archived and available for people to access any time, Hannah said.

Justice Robert Brown suggested that maybe the U.S. Supreme Court should take the state court’s lead and also go online.

Stephanie Harris, communications counsel for the state Supreme Court, said the system will receive its first big test at the end of the month when oral arguments occur on behalf of Damien Echols’ appeal of his death sentence.

She said technicians plan to free up bandwidth in anticipation of the demand, adding that she has received numerous telephone calls from around the nation and the world, including a recent call from Wales, from people wanting to see the oral arguments, which are scheduled for Sept. 30.

Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were convicted in the 1993 murders of 8-year-olds Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Stevie Branch. Baldwin and Misskelley each received life sentences.

In August, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Veder, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks and actor Johnny Depp headlined a benefit concert in Little Rock support of the three.
The three and their supporters claim police and prosecutors used the defendants’ fondness of heavy metal music to label them as Satanists and obtain a conviction with no physical evidence.

The case has gained international attention over the years — there have been two HBO documentaries — and renewed interest has been generated by attorneys for the convicted who have offered what they say is new DNA and forensic evidence in the case.

Harris said it cost about $51,000 to install the necessary equipment and another $41,000 for the computer software, hardware and professional services from Granicus Inc. of San Francisco, the same firm that installed the live streaming system used by the Arkansas House of Representatives.

Source:http://arkansasnews.com/2010/09/14/supreme-court-going-live-on-internet/