In this future, current modes of symbolically demonstrating the legal system are hyperbolised. Legalese and architectural forms are used to reinforce the authority of the legal system. The courtroom drama, critical in framing the common perception of law, becomes a key instrument for symbolising the AI legal system. James v Birnmann is a never ending courtroom drama, re-running the same trial daily. Small changes and iterations happen continuously: a different prop, a change in movement, an altered script, a shifted stage set.
The trial can be viewed in two ways: first, through watching it in person. As with courtroom trials, the performance is open to the public who may watch for entertainment, intrigue, or a desire for a closer connection to the usually remote legal system. Second, the trial is televised, on a 24 hour channel of its own. This performance is mediated by animation; akin to the courtroom sketch, the trial is transferred into the animated landscape, which makes explicit the representational, symbolic nature of the performance.
