On The Docket is an innovative project aiming to make the Supreme Court more accessible. It uses AI to create visual avatars of justices presenting their decisions. This effort is led by Northwestern University professor Jerry Goldman, who has been dedicated to enhancing public access to the Supreme Court since the launch of Oyez in 1996. That site offered audio recordings of oral arguments dating back to 1955, an era when these sessions were often kept under wraps.
Before the Oyez project, many recordings of court sessions were lost or inaccessible for months after cases had concluded. Only during the pandemic did the Supreme Court start live-streaming oral arguments, a practice that has continued. However, announcements of decisions remain exclusive to those physically present in the courtroom.
Now, with On The Docket, Goldman’s team is using AI to recreate the sights and sounds of these moments. They’re using publicly available images and videos of the justices to craft lifelike avatars that mimic their mannerisms. For this project, they worked with the AI design company Spooler. Initially, the avatars encountered some amusing hiccups, like justices disappearing unexpectedly, but improvements have led to much more polished results.
However, the project hasn’t been without ethical considerations. The team decided to slightly cartoonize the visuals and labeled them as AI-generated, allowing viewers to distinguish between real audio and simulated video.
In a recent example, they recreated Chief Justice John Roberts’ summary of a key 6-to-3 decision regarding presidential immunity, which sparked considerable discussion. Justice Sonia Sotomayor followed with her dissent, both performances resonating deeply, although there’s apprehension about how the court will react to this innovation.
Historically, transparency has been a contentious issue for the Supreme Court. In the early 1990s, law professor Peter Irons faced legal consequences for publishing previously secret recordings of oral arguments. Over the years, there have been numerous calls from journalists and academics to allow live broadcasts of decision announcements, but these requests have gone unanswered.
Goldman points out that historical documents show that justices in the 1950s never expressed a desire to keep their discussions secret. Yet to this day, the Supreme Court hasn’t made announcements accessible to the public in real-time.
Ultimately, On The Docket may challenge the Supreme Court’s longstanding practices and perceptions about transparency. As technology and public demand for accessibility evolve, the court will face increasing pressure to adapt. This initiative could pave the way for a more open judicial process, encouraging informed public discourse.
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