Court TV: Viewers flock to federal judiciary's YouTube channel

The federal judiciary has debuted its own YouTube channel and redesigned its Web site  to raise its public profile by using Web 2.0 tools.

In its first eight weeks of operation, the Federal Judiciary Channel has tallied 5,300 views for its 48 educational videos on topics such as jury duty, bankruptcy, working for the judiciary and an overview of recent Supreme Court cases. The YouTube channel is a joint program between the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the Federal Judicial Center.

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The YouTube channel, which went live in May, is part of a broader overhaul of the federal judiciary’s Web site, which is designed for students, news media, lawyers, academics and government officials.

Other enhancements in the redesign are:

• Users can register for e-mail updates for news releases, emergencies and new publications.
• The federal judiciary is making available widgets that can be installed on other Web sites to allow delivery of judiciary content to those sites.
• A free read-aloud tool is available to help users with disabilities read online texts.

“We hope that the videos you discover here will help you connect with the federal courts in fresh ways,” an announcer said during the channel’s introductory video, which has been viewed 2,073 times.