Law Week Colorado: Nearly three years after COVID-19 first moved court proceedings online, state lawmakers have introduced bills to make some virtual court proceedings permanent. The legislation comes as courts across the country weigh the benefits and pain points of carrying pandemic-era changes into the future. 

“I think when the pandemic hit, courts had a big wake-up call,” said Natalie Knowlton, advisor on regulatory innovation at the University of Denver’s Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. While conversations about using technology to increase access to justice pre-dated COVID, the pandemic forced courts to create new avenues for litigants to appear, Knowlton said. 

But as restrictions on holding in-person proceedings lift, courts across the country are weighing whether or not to return to pre-COVID procedures or keep some virtual proceedings, Knowlton said. 

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