Nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced Colorado courts to fundamentally change how they operate, the judicial branch is developing a policy that could make the livestreaming of court proceedings more commonplace and uniform statewide.

Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Elisabeth Epps of Denver said she will introduce legislation to make remote viewing of criminal courts the “default” in Colorado.

It is now up to each judge to decide whether arraignments, hearings and trials are broadcast to the public using Webex or another videoconferencing platform. Many judges use the technology, but some do not and not every courtroom is equipped for virtual justice. Bandwidth issues make it challenging in certain jurisdictions for multiple courts to stream simultaneously.

But remote access to the courts could become more universal, depending on what happens with Epps’ bill and the recommendations of a new committee of judges and judicial staff that recently began meeting weekly at the request of Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Brian Boatright. The committee is led by Eighth Judicial District Chief Judge Susan Blanco and Fourth Judicial District Chief Judge William Bain, both of whom are enthusiastic about online courts.