Witnesses in AZ Court Can Appear Via Web
Getting a ticket dismissed because the police officer didn’t show up just got a lot harder in Pima County, Ariz.
With the help of OoVoo, an Internet-based videoconferencing and chat application, Pima County Judge Jose Luis Castillo Jr. has begun allowing witnesses to testify remotely via the Web instead of coming into court.
While Arizona’s criminal procedure rules prohibit remote appearances by witnesses and defendants for trials and evidentiary hearings, Castillo says there’s no similar bar for civil hearings. “I found a provision that states a hearing officer can do whatever you need to do to be able to process these cases,” he explains. “I thought that ‘whatever I have to do’ means clear it with the presiding judge.”
Continue reading the full story online in the January issue.
