Video links and the reinterpretation of judicial work in Sweden

Abstract

Since the 1970s, the number of physical Swedish courthouses has decreased substantially. Courts are now situated in the larger cities, servicing greater geographical areas and populations, ultimately increasing remote participation for people without local courthouses. Although video conferencing has been in use since 1995, the implementation of technological tools has failed to fully account for the social aspects of moving a traditionally in-person, democratic ritual into a virtual setting. Asking the question, ‘How do Swedish judges understand their role and the function of the court in times of remote participation?’, this article investigates the changing judicial landscape in Sweden through semi-structured interviews and observations with judges working in the district and administrative courts. By combining the framing conditions of centralization with the judges’ own sense-making practices, the article illustrates how remote participation, alongside other contemporary changes to the court organization, is altering judicial work in Sweden.