Vol. 38 No. 1 (2019): The University of Queensland Law Journal
Articles

Technology and the Future of the Courts

James Allsop
Federal Court of Australia

Published 2019-11-11

Abstract

No institution, including the courts, can disregard technology. This article discusses the role of the courts in the uptake of technology. It considers the question of how to best incorporate useful technologies while maintaining the fundamentally human character of courts as public institutions. It assesses some of the challenges that may arise along the way. These include practical obstacles such as the need for behavioural change across the profession, ensuring access to (and not obstruction of) justice, and the implications of the use of big data and artificial intelligence for public trust and confidence in the courts as core public institutions.