Oral Testimony May Be Obsolete in 15 Years, Top Judge Warns

A top judge in the United Kingdom is calling for courts to consider whether oral testimony is becoming obsolete as the younger generation increasingly relies on the Internet to communicate.

In 15 years, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales predicted this week, it may be necessary to present evidence by computer, in order to communicate with juries, reports the London Times.

“If a generation is going to arrive in the jury box that is totally unused to sitting and listening but is using technology to gain the information it needs to form a judgment, that changes the whole orality tradition with which we are familiar,” he said.

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