On The Horizon 2019: Emerging Issues That May Impact the Courts

By National Center for State Courts

The National Center for State Courts investigated technology, politics, economics, and social demographics and selected six topics for consideration due to their ability to impact or disrupt society and the court community.

ABSTRACTS:

Water Conflict
As the global population grows and climate change ensues, water conflicts will no longer be confined to the arid regions. The increasing demand for water will cause increased litigation
over rights to water. The most affected areas will likely include transboundary waters and areas most susceptible to drought.

Evolution of Personal Identification
Government-issued personal identification (e.g., Social Security cards) are now part of a matrix of personal identification that is
beginning to include voluntary social media accounts, such as Facebook. Identity, once just a task of the government, is evolving to
incorporate previously nonexistent IDs. The two types of ID systems are susceptible to fraud and are not fully integrated with one another. The courts may need to reconsider which personal identification is acceptable or required in court.

The New American Family
As the number of children born to U.S. citizens decreases, and international migration increases, there will be a demographic shift in majority youth population from natural born to immigrant. Courts should anticipate the shift in what defines a family unit and the prevalence of first- and second-generation American children in their courtrooms.

Truth Decay
In the era of “fake news,” the public has less trust in politicians, the press, and all reputable sources of factual, unbiased information.
The courts could face the same reputation deterioration, jeopardizing society’s reverence for the facts, consensus, and impartiality crucial to court processes.

Social Credit and Standing
China is proffering their social credit system as a means to solve societal accountability problems by monitoring individuals and changing their credit scores according to the government- defined morality of their actions. Legal issues involving surveillance, privacy rights, and government power currently bar this sort of system in the United States, but could we see changes that bring all or part of the social system to U.S. shores?

The Gray Wave
By 2030, all baby boomers will be older than 65, meaning one in every five citizens will be of retirement age. Mandatory judicial retirement ages may mean, for the first time, many judges will be younger than the parties before them,
if the courts even have enough judges to hear cases. Additionally, courts may not have enough resources in terms of non-attorney judges and judges familiar with guardianships, probates, estates, etc.

• Language: English
• Publisher: National Center for State Courts
• Release date: Jul 19, 2019

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