COURT 

VOICES 

PROJECT

Staff Insights 

About Courts’ 

Pandemic 

Responses 

Across 11 Pilots

December 2021
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 1

LaGratta Consulting LLC © 2021 

www.lagratta.com/court-voices-project 

This document was developed under cooperative agreement #SJI-21-P-026 from the State 

Justice Institute. The points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily 

represent the official position or policies of the State Justice Institute. 

We dedicate this resource to the hundreds of court professionals at our pilot sites for their 

thoughtful responses amidst their many existing job responsibilities and for their commitment to 

improving their field. 
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 2

Project Overview 

As courts continue to adapt in response to the pandemic, some court leaders are taking the 

extra step to ask for input from those closest to the situation: court staff and court users. This 

approach is rooted in the concept and literature behind procedural justice, which shows that 

giving voice to people helps to enhance trust and confidence in authority – like the courts. 

Inviting participant perspectives also yields cooperation and insights that will support 

implementation of any forthcoming policy and practice changes. Unfortunately, most courts 

have limited mechanisms to get regular input from these audiences beyond the occasional 

paper or web-based survey or longer-term study, which tend to be labor-intensive and have 

lengthy turnaround times. 

The Court Voices Project, led by LaGratta Consulting, worked with twelve pilot courts to better 

understand how two key audiences experiences those courts’ pandemic responses: court staff 

and court users. Project partners also included Tara Kunkel of Rulo Strategies, Dr. Brad Ray, 

formerly of the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice at the Wayne State University School 

of Social Work, and Dieter Tejada and Marc Ramirez of the National Justice Impact Bar 

Association. Funding is provided by the State Justice Institute under its Emergency Response 

and Recovery initiative. 

The twelve pilot courts are located in rural and urban settings and include limited and general 

jurisdiction courts. This publication is the first of two major products of the pilot project. The 

second will be a national toolkit about feedback from court users collected from June 2021 

through November 2021, forthcoming in early 2022. 

Figure 1: Court Voices Project Pilot Court Sites 
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 3

About the Initial Staff Survey 

The Court Voices Project staff survey was distributed in June 2021 via a web-based platform, 

and staff were given at least two weeks to respond. Responses were anonymous. A total of 276 

staff responded to the survey across 111 courts. Respondents included judges, clerks of courts, 

other court administration, and customer service staff. At one site, responding staff included 

external court stakeholders, such as local law enforcement. 

The main goals of the staff survey were to give voice to court professionals about their 

experiences and to solicit their recommendations for this pilot project specifically and future 

court improvements generally. 

The questions were developed collaboratively by project staff and representatives from the 

pilot courts. Of the nine questions, six were open-ended and three were closed-ended (multiple 

choice or scale), as noted within. See the Appendix for a copy of the survey questions. 

Key survey topics included: 

 Virtual appearances for certain case types

 Ratings of court communication with the public and 

corresponding tools and needs

 Topics on which staff want court user feedback

This report highlights response findings and key takeaways, paired with select quotes from staff 

members. Open-ended responses have been grouped and labeled by project staff for clarity. As 

noted below, responses to some questions varied considerably from court to court. These 

findings are not presented as representative of courts generally. 

1 Three of the courts are rural courts that are presided over by the same judge, so feedback from their clerks are 

grouped together as one site for the purposes of this project. One of the twelve pilot courts opted not to collect 

staff feedback. 
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 4

Staff Feedback Findings 

 Virtual appearances for certain case types

QUESTION (closed-ended): “For which types of cases do you think it would be 

most valuable for your court to use virtual appearances or hearings going 

forward?”2

 Staff at 5 of 6 courts that hear traffic cases rated that case type as the most valuable 

to use virtual appearances going forward. The only court that did not rate traffic cases 

as valuable for virtual court appearances does not hear any traffic cases.

    

 Support for using virtual appearances for individuals in custody ranged across sites 

who hear those case types, from 39% to 100% among staff at those courts. 

 Similarly, support for using virtual appearances for first appearances varied from 25% 

to 89%.

 Only one in ten staff responding across all sites said that virtual hearings for jury trials

would be valuable going forward.

 Many staff wrote in responses about the value of virtual appearances for more 

“ministerial” or “informative” matters, like scheduling new court dates or other nonsubstantive case updates

 A majority of staff at all courts rated four or fewer case types as valuable to be heard 

virtually. In other words, few staff reported broad support for most or all court types 

to be heard virtually. 

2

 Unless otherwise noted, responses were pooled from all sites, regardless of whether their court had direct experience offering 

all case types. The feedback from individual staff is likely to reflect a mix of direct experience with certain case types, as well as 

indirect experience or opinions. 
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 5

QUESTION (open-ended): “Please explain why you selected the choices you did 

(regarding which types of cases you think would be most valuable for your court 

to use virtual appearances or hearings going forward – or not).” 

Figure 2: Staff Perceptions re: Benefits of Virtual Appearances and In-Person Appearances

Perceived Benefits of Virtual Appearances 

 Benefits to Court Staff Benefits to Both Benefits to Court Users 

Perceived Benefits of In-Person Appearances 

 Benefits to Court Staff Benefits to Both Benefits to Court Users 

 Cost-savings 

 Reduce deputy transport time 

 Increased appearance rates 

 Improved safety for staff if incustody individuals are off-site 

 Less time-consuming / 

more efficient 

 Reduced health risks 

(e.g., COVID-19 exposure) 

 Increased access to justice 

/ reduced barriers (e.g., 

childcare, transportation) 

 Reduced “shaming” for incustody individuals 

 Easier/improved 

processing of exhibits 

 Better for cross 

examination and more 

complex cases

 Easier to assess credibility 

 Greater procedural justice 

and public trust 

 Preservation of due process 

and judicial integrity 

 Victims see justice being 

done 

 Easier for lawyers to 

properly advise clients 

 Avoids need to navigate 

technology 
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 6

QUESTION (open-ended): “If your court were to continue using virtual 

appearances or meetings, what supports or resources would help you and your 

colleagues to improve this practice?”

 Key resource needs for court staff

Figure 3: Staff Perceptions re: Key Resource Needs for Staff

Select staff responses by theme: 

1. Better equipment (e.g., computers, cameras, microphones)

[P]roviding the court with the proper equipment and creating a standardized 

process on how to handle the different types of cases virtually will be good in 

improving this practice. 



2. Improved internet access (including more reliable and secure connections)

Better quality for connectivity through broadband, wireless access 

3. Standard procedures and training

[We] need a clear understanding of the process that court users are going through 

4. Adapted stafffing structure 

Dedicated staff to monitor and maintain the various systems needed for 

virtual court 
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 7







5. Improved internal communication

We need the ability to share documents and evidence electronically. E-filing and 

online case management systems would resolve this issue. 

6. Improved external communication (e.g., process for obtaining email addresses from 

court users)

I think having a completely functional website with all of the information we 

know [and] the public needs is essential, and we should 100% make this a 

priority. 

Figure 4: Staff Perceptions re: Key Resource Needs for Staff, continued
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 8

 Key resource needs for court users

Figure 4: Staff Perceptions re: Key Resource Needs for Court Users

Select staff responses by theme: 

1. Improved internet access (including more reliable and secure connections)

We need much better internet infrastructure across the board. When someone’s 

appearance is dependent on the weakest link in the bandwidth/internet 

connection, and that weakest link is poor, it’s hard to conduct a productive 

hearing. 

2. Improved access points for court users (e.g., community access points, quiet place 

for court users to appear virtually if they don’t have the capability from 

home/work)

Remote stations at libraries, community centers and other community spaces, 

where the public could come for their remote appearance/hearing and have help 

with equipment or with linking into their event. 

3. Standard procedure and instructions for the public (including in multiple languages)

It might be helpful to create an easy to read “cheat sheet” for new participants 

about how to access and participate in Zoom court, who to contact when having 

technology challenges, what courtroom decorum is expected, etc. Something fast 

and easy to understand like a flyer with images and as few words as possible. 


Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 9





4. Ability for court users to electronically submit evidence

The ability to upload evidence to a program that would allow us to share it to all 

parties. [The office of court administration] currently blocks access.... 

5. Virtual waiting area with staff assistance if needed 

Having a message for call-in users that states what courtroom they’ve called into 

and that explains that they are currently on mute but to stay on the line. I feel that 

by not informing call-in users that they are on mute when they initially call in 

causes confusion for them and can result in them disconnecting which will cause 

them to be cited with (a failure to appear). 

 Court communication with the public



QUESTION (closed-ended): “What do you think are the most effective ways 

your court kept court users informed during the pandemic?”

 Staff at four out of seven courts said that their court’s website was the most 

effective way their court kept court users informed during the pandemic. 

 At two out of seven courts, text messaging was noted by 100% of responding 

staff as being the most effective means of communication. 

 Email was rated among the top two most effective means of communication at 

six out of seven courts. Email was the top choice at the two smallest courts. 
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 10

QUESTION (closed-ended): “Do you think your court improved its ability to 

communicate effectively with the public as a result of the pandemic?” 

Figure 5: Staff Perceptions re: Courts’ Ability to Communicate with Court Users 

QUESTION (open-ended): “What do you think are the most effective ways your 

court kept court users informed during the pandemic?” 

Figure 6: Staff Perceptions re: Courts’ Most Effective Communication Tools 

The word cloud above highlights the most common responses from staff about effective 

tools to communicate with court users during the pandemic. The more frequently a 

particular response was given, the larger the font appears in the word cloud. 

A majority of staff at four

courts reported that their 

ability to communicate 

with court users 

increased.

A majority of staff at two

courts reported that their 

ability to communicate 

with court users stayed 

the same.

A majority of staff at

one court reported 

that their ability to 

communicate with 

court users decreased.
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 11

 Court user feedback topics



QUESTION (open-ended): “What are you most interested in learning from 

court users about their experience with virtual appearances offered during the 

pandemic?”

Select staff responses by theme: 

1. Court user preferences, satisfaction with, and assessment of the quality of the 

virtual experience

Were the instructions for accessing video hearings helpful? What advantages 

(did) they feel they experienced from having video hearings? 

2. Court user perceptions of fairness (e.g., respect, voice, understanding, neutrality)



If they feel that they are heard, if they fully understand what happened in the 

hearing, and if they feel that they were treated as a real person rather than an 

unknown person on a screen 

3. Court user feelings of safety, including by avoiding in-person contact with the court

I’d be interested in hearing whether calling in by phone made their court 

appearances more or less stressful 

4. Perceived efficiency of the court process

Were they able to more efficiently handle cases in the virtual setting, rather than 

a crowded courtroom? 

 

5. Court users’ technology barriers to virtual services

How hard was the initial process of connecting to the court? Did they have the 

appropriate equipment, or did they have to borrow hardware or go somewhere to 

access Wi-Fi? What kind of training or prep materials did they find useful (e.g., 

videos, written instructions, or someone on the phone)? 
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 12

Conclusion & Next Steps 

No two sets of court professionals answered these questions the same, and yet there were many 

common themes as noted above. Further, the volume and quality of these responses showcase 

the dedication and professionalism of the judges and court staff who participated. They focused 

not just on their own needs but also their commitment to delivering on core court purposes like 

access and fairness. Court leaders will be wise to heed the advice of these experts in determining 

how pandemic response practices should be adapted going forward. 

Within the Court Voices Project, this feedback was used to inform the development of short 

court user feedback surveys that were implemented at all twelve pilot sites in both in-person and 

remote contexts. Feedback topics include court user preferences for in-person versus various 

remote services (and why) and perceptions of fairness across various service contexts. Court user 

feedback findings will be available online at www.LaGratta.com/court-voices-project in early 

2022.
Court Voices Project | Staff Insights About Courts’ Pandemic Responses Across 11 Pilots 13

Appendix 

Staff Survey Questions (June 2021) 

On behalf of this court and the Court Voices Project team, thank you in advance for your anonymous 

input today and going forward. This will be one of a few opportunities to provide feedback and insights 

through the project this year. 

Your court is one of 12 courts selected as a pilot site for the Court Voices Project. The goals of the Court 

Voices Project are to: 

1. To assess the value of pandemic-response practices and policies from the 

perspectives of court users and court staff 

2. To improve public trust and confidence in the courts 

To learn more about this project, please visit www.lagratta.com/court-voices-project or email 

Emily@lagratta.com. 

The purpose of this initial questionnaire is to get feedback on some pandemic response practices that 

have been identified as common across most of the 12 pilot courts. We also want to hear from you 

about other pandemic response practices and concerns unique to your court. We thank you in 

advance for your time and candor.

1. For which types of cases do you think it would be most valuable for your court to use 

virtual appearances or hearings going forward? Please check all that apply. (Note: the next 

question will ask for more details about your responses) [MULTIPLE CHOICE: First 

appearances and/or bond hearings, Appearances for individuals in custody, Evidentiary 

hearings, Pretrial conferences, Bench trials, Jury trials, Small claims or other high-volume civil 

dockets, Traffic, Criminal, Landlord/tenant, Family court, Other]

2. Please explain why you selected the choices you did in the previous question. [WRITE-IN]

3. What are you most interested in learning from court users about their experience with 

virtual appearances offered during the pandemic? [WRITE-IN]

4. If your court were to continue using virtual appearances or meetings, what supports 

or resources would help you and your colleagues to improve this practice? [WRITE-IN]

5. On a scale of 1-5, do you think your court improved its ability to communicate effectively 

with the public as a result of the pandemic? [SCALE]

6. What do you think are the most effective ways your court kept court users informed 

during the pandemic? [MULTIPLE CHOICE: Court website, Phone, Email, Text messages, 

Social media, In-person counter service, Courthouse signage]

7. What are you most interested in learning from court users about the communication 

options the court used during the pandemic? [WRITE-IN]

8. What would help you and your colleagues to improve the court’s options to 

communicate effectively with the public going forward? [WRITE-IN]

9. What questions or concerns do you have about this project? (We’ll do our best to follow 

up with answers.) [WRITE-IN]

Thank you for your insights today! We’ll report back soon with a summary of your peers’ responses.