HCR 147

                SPONSOR:
                Rep. Michael Smith & Sen. Buckson
                Rep. Hilovsky; Sens. Lawson, Wilson
        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
        153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY
        HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 147
        REQUESTING THAT THE COURT OF CHANCERY PROVIDE A REPORT ON THE FEASIBILITY OF MAKING AUDIO RECORDINGS OF COURT PROCEEDINGS AND A RANDOMIZED, AUTOMATED CASE ASSIGNMENT SYSTEM.
        WHEREAS, the General Assembly seeks to increase accessibility and transparency in court proceedings; and
        WHEREAS, the General Assembly seeks to identify the feasibility and costs of audio recording court proceedings in the Court of Chancery to further court transparency; and
        WHEREAS, in furtherance of fairness and transparency, the General Assembly seeks to explore the codification of a randomized, automated case assignment system in the Court of Chancery.
        NOW THEREFORE:
        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the General Assembly is requesting that the Court of Chancery submit a feasibility report to the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services not later than December 31, 2026, containing all of the following:
        (a) The feasibility of the Court of Chancery posting audio recordings of all court proceedings on its website, with exceptions for those proceedings that must remain confidential.
        (b) The estimated cost of posting audio recordings of court proceedings on the Court of Chancery’s website.
        (c) The estimated amount of time it would take to implement a program that posts audio recordings.
        (d) How the Court of Chancery will identify and determine which proceedings are confidential and will not be publicly posted.
        (e) Proposed statutory language to codify a randomized, automated case assignment system in the Court of Chancery, including equipment and technology that will be used to randomly assign cases.
        SYNOPSIS
        This House Concurrent Resolution requests that the Court of Chancery submit a report to the General Assembly on the following:
        (1) The feasibility of audio recording and publicly posting all Court of Chancery proceedings, with exceptions for confidential matters.
        (2) Proposed statutory language to codify a randomized, automated case assignment system in the Court of Chancery, including equipment and technology that will be used to randomly assign cases.
        The report must be submitted to the General Assembly and the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services no later than December 31, 2026.