Chief Justice Robert J. Torres Jr. of the United States Territory of Guam paid a courtesy call on Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo in preparation for the 62nd Annual Conference of the 2023 American Judges Association on Sept. 9 to 14 in Hawaii.
The Supreme Court’s Public Information Office said Torres and Gesmundo will be speakers in a special session during the Hawaii conference where they will discuss the use of technological innovations in the judicial system.
Both Gesmundo and Torres “will also discuss issues faced by their respective judiciaries in pivoting to new technologies, such as issues on data privacy and cybersecurity,” the PIO said, in a statement.
During the courtesy call last Friday, Aug. 18, the PIO said that Chief Justice Gesmundo spoke about the Philippine judiciary’s use of technology in court processes, especially the use of video conferencing platforms in order to expedite trials during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It said that Gesmundo also pointed out that “the use of video conferencing in hearings will r main and become the norm even beyond the pandemic.”
Chief Justice Torres “stressed the importance of training judges on the responsible use of social media.”
Gesmundo said that in the Philippines, the SC had incorporated guidelines on social media in the lawyers’ Code of Professional Responsibility and A countability and will be included in the revision of the Code of Judicial Conduct for judges.
The two chief justices also discussed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the judiciary. They both agreed that while extremely useful, AI can never replace humans in the dispensation of justice.
Chief Justice Gesmundo was joined during the courtesy call by Justices Henri Jean Paul B. Inting and Mario V. Lopez.
