Remote Court Hearings (H 8328)

We supported legislation which would permit all Rhode Island courts to conduct hearings remotely and allow parties and their attorneys to appear by telephone or video conference. We noted that this legislation is particularly timely given the terrorizing impact that ICE agents and actions have had on Rhode Islanders. In some cases, however, a person's physical appearance may be constitutionally required. As such, we argued that the legislation should be amended to include clarifying language to the bill that acknowledges constitutional factors that may need to be taken into account in determining whether remote participation can be allowed.