Boston, MA – The Supreme Judicial Court, in partnership with Suffolk University Law School, today announced that webcasts of oral arguments at the Supreme Judicial Court will be archived and accessible on the Internet within four days of the court proceedings.

           Last May the Supreme Judicial Court and Suffolk University Law School began live broadcasts of oral arguments at the Supreme Judicial Court in the John Adams Courthouse. The live broadcasts will resume next week when the Supreme Judicial Court begins its new court year on September 6,7, 8, and 9. Oral arguments begin at 9:00 a.m. and can be viewed and heard online at www.suffolk.edu/sjc.

           Each case takes approximately thirty minutes. A schedule and brief summary of the court cases to be broadcast are also available on the website. The SJC hears oral arguments the first week of every month from September through May.

           Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall said, "Live web broadcasts of the Court's oral arguments were successfully launched last spring with the assistance of Suffolk University Law School. Archiving webcasts of court proceedings will now allow people everywhere the opportunity to observe the Justices and lawyers discussing legal matters that affect people's lives at times that are convenient for them."

           Suffolk University Law School Dean Robert H. Smith said, "Our ongoing pilot program with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has been a measurable success with lawyers, who can now observe the SJC arguments without ever having to leave their desks. Key to the archives is that people can plug in and access arguments, but more importantly, they can experience "real-time" interaction between justices and counsel. These streaming broadcasts are not only an advancement of Suffolk's academic technology initiatives, but also the SJC's agenda to make oral advocacy more public."

           Established in 1692, the Supreme Judicial Court is the oldest appellate court in continuous existence in the Western Hemisphere. The Supreme Judicial Court, the Appeals Court, and the Social Law Library, the nation's oldest law library, are housed in the John Adams Courthouse on Pemberton Square. The courthouse was dedicated on March 31, 2005.

           For nearly 100 years, Suffolk University Law School, in the heart of downtown Boston, has remained one of the most respected names in legal education. Its expansive curriculum – more than 200 upper-level elective courses, specialty concentrations, joint degree programs and an LL.M. in global technology – enables students to gain a strong academic foundation. A wide range of hands-on experience, including clinical programs, internships and moot court competitions, provides students the practical skills necessary to succeed. Suffolk Law's diverse and supportive community comes together in Sargent Hall, which was dedicated in 1999 and is among the country's most inspiring, modern and technologically advanced settings for the study of law.