Remote proceedings to be held via Webex starting April 1

On April 1, 2021, the temporary authorization to use Zoom for court proceedings will expire.  

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 23, 2020, the Missouri Court Automation Committee approved the temporary use of Zoom for court proceedings open to the public. The committee also allowed the existing use of Scopia video conferencing and Webex, the planned replacement for Scopia, for all court proceedings. The Missouri Court Automation Committee adopted Webex as the video technology standard for the Missouri judiciary based on the August 2020 report and recommendations of the MCA Video Conferencing Task Team, originally convened in 2018.

At its Jan. 8, 2021, meeting, the Missouri Court Automation Committee approved a Webex Implementation Plan, which included the discontinuance of Zoom. Some courts purchased annual Zoom licenses, so to account for the annual license cost and to accommodate a transition period for court proceedings already scheduled with Zoom, April 1, 2021, was designated as the end date for the temporary authorization to use Zoom for court proceedings. 

The Missouri Court Automation Committee was established by statute in 1994 to develop and administer a plan for statewide court automation, including standards for the security and privacy of confidential judicial records. Supreme Court Operating Rule 1 also grants the Court Automation Committee decision-making authority for all aspects of statewide court automation.  

View and download the Office of State Courts Administrator Webex Virtual Court Proceeding Quick Reference Guide under The Missouri Bar’s Coronavirus Resource Center.