The idea quickly took on the dimensions of a movement, gaining in momentum and given Congressional blessing through the CJRA and statutes on court-annexed arbitration. While some nonjudicial procedures such as arbitration had been on the scene for many decades, there was not the array of alternatives we have today, and the concept did not have the broad connotation, the popularity, the semi-official status, and the coalescence as a movement that it has acquired over the last two decades. Technological developments have altered the ways courts function, in addition to technology's effect on the complexities of litigated issues. Computers and word processors are now almost universal in the trial courts. Clerks' offices maintain records and manage dockets through computers.
Trial judges have direct access to case data on computers, both on the bench and in chambers.
Opinions and orders are now prepared on word processors. E-mail and fax, in addition to the telephone, provide instant communication among judges and other court personnel, and between lawyers and courts. Videotaping provides a means for presenting testimony of absent witnesses and of preserving a record of trial. Closed circuit television permits judicial proceedings to be conducted with participants in different locations. All of this means that courts can handle more business in less time than previously possible.