Welcome to the Technology Issue of Appellate Issues. This themed issue features a number of articles focusing on the role technology plays across various aspects of appellate practice. We’ve known for a long time that technology is here to stay, in the practice of law generally and in appellate practice specifically. As Summer 2021 quickly recedes into Fall, and as we continue to grapple with the pandemic, perhaps the past year and a half has shown us that this is true in new and different ways.
To begin, this edition features an article about how the pandemic changed Supreme Court arguments, and what impact those changes might have on the prospect of increasing access to justice by allowing cameras in the courtroom in the future. It also includes articles about adapting brief-writing to screen-reading; the importance and accessibility of appellate blogging; data analytics and appellate decision-making; and what COVID-19 has taught us about the role of technology in appellate practice, both the good and the bad.
Building upon some of our earlier articles aimed at helping you navigate the pandemic, I hope these technology-oriented articles prove useful to your practice, this summer and beyond. As always, thank you for your readership, and please email me if you would like to write for a future edition of Appellate Issues.