The courtrooms of the 22nd Judicial Circuit in St. Louis are getting major technology upgrades.
Over the course of the next several years, all 31 of the courtrooms in the Cahill and Carnahan courthouses downtown will receive new sound systems and technology that makes the digital display of evidence easier. Work has already been completed on three courtrooms, and three more should be finished by January.
“Most of the stuff that we're replacing in this first phase is from the 1960s or earlier,” said Erica Priess, the circuit’s information technology manager. “There's been issues with trying to get into the walls to unhook some of that stuff and upgrade it.”
Construction on the first six courtrooms began in May. But planning for the project started as early as 2022, said Presiding Judge Christopher McGraugh.
“Each floor of courtrooms is unique to itself, so every fix had to be somewhere different,” he said. “We had to upgrade our electrical infrastructure. We had to upgrade our technological infrastructure to be able to absorb these new projects.”
Law firms that have the ability have always brought in their own projectors and screens, said Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser, whose courtroom was among the first to be upgraded. And while most attorneys will share that technology with opposing counsel, he said, everyone working with the same tools helps level the playing field.
“If one party has all the slick technology and the other party doesn't, that affects the way the jury looks at the case,” he said. “And if it’s your technology, you’re going to know how to use it better.”
Circuit Judge Heather Hays was also among the first judges to use the new technology. She said it has been especially helpful in orders of protection cases in which some of the evidence may be on smartphones.
Before, Hays said, the parties would have to hand her their devices. Sometimes, the phones would ring or a message would come in.
“I'm like, ‘I don't need to see your message,’” she said. “This way, they’ll still be able to hold onto their phone. We can hook their phone straight into the system itself from the podium.”
The court, Hays added, has put together training videos that anyone can use to learn about the technology.
Each courtroom costs on average about $250,000 to upgrade. Funding limits the 22nd Circuit to about six courtrooms at a time; last year, then-Gov. Mike Parson vetoed a $3.5 million appropriation from the state’s general revenue fund, citing a projected budget deficit for the fiscal year beginning in July 2026.
