Art. 522 Hearings on motions; audio-visual appearance

This rule allows a defendant to appear in court by video instead of in person for certain hearings. Courts can set this up using video calls or similar technology, as long as the local court has a rule allowing it.

For the first court appearance, known as the seventy-two hour hearing, and for the initial setting of bail, a defendant can appear by video if the local court allows it. No special approval is needed from the defense lawyer for this type of hearing.

For other pretrial motions or hearings, video appearances are only allowed if two things happen. First, the local court must have a rule permitting it. Second, the defendant's own lawyer must agree to it. This gives the defense some control over whether their client appears in person or by video for these other types of hearings.