PRINCIPIILE DIGITALIZĂRII JUSTIȚIEI

Abstract

The digitalization of judicial services became a stringent necessity, especially during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Many courts managed to stay operational mainly due to availability of information technologies that they could use, which allowed access to justice for litigants. By using videoconferencing and various online communication platforms, courts across the globe conducted, during 2020-2021, thousands of remote trials. While judicial e-services were essential to ensuring courts’ resilience and operabi- lity in crisis times and rapid digitalization of the judiciary sounds enticing, it is crucial to promote and implement it carefully, in strict observance of human rights and liberties. Principles governing the functioning of state powers and of the judiciary characteristic for a democratic society, should also be respected. Various international and regional bodies adopted numerous principles for the digitization of public services in general and for digitalization of judicial services in particular. This article identifies and describes various principles that should govern the process of digitization of judicial services, so that the rights of litigants and other parties to a case are not infringed.