American History 1988
Chapter 36 - 33 "Filial" Dean

Chapter 36: Chapter 33 "Filial" Dean

January 9, the second Monday of ’89.

That day, Dean had donned his only presentable overcoat, having called Judge Witt’s office the previous Friday, the two parties agreeing to discuss the software matter again today.

Returning to the Seventh District Circuit Court of Youngstown, the crowd was still bustling. Outside the courthouse doors, beside the Corinthian columns, some people simply sat facing the sun.

The rare good weather, free of snow and wind, couldn’t thwart people’s longing for sunshine, even though the courthouse was heated.

Dean briskly ascended the long marble steps, finding his way to the courthouse’s information desk as if by second nature.

Unsurprisingly, it was still Lorraine sitting there. Her full head of red hair was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight pouring in from the windows, making her freckles all the more noticeable.

"Hey, Lorraine," Dean called out from a distance, "Seeing a familiar face like yours first thing in the morning makes me feel like something good will happen today."

"Oh~ Dean," Lorraine cooed, batting her eyes at him seductively, "You really are an irresistible sweetheart."

"Today I..."

"I know, you’re here for Judge Witt," Lorraine cut him off, already aware of his purpose.

"Exactly," Dean said with a shrug and a smile, "But this time, I have an appointment."

"Look at our good boy, now a distinguished guest of His Honor," Lorraine joked while picking up the phone on the desk to dial the internal line.

After a few words, Lorraine hung up the phone. "Dean, you’re in luck, Judge Witt is available right now."

"I knew today would be a good one," Dean declared with a casual fist pump, having thought he might have to wait for two or three hours.

"Off you go, but you’ve only got 20 minutes," Lorraine said while discreetly patting Dean on the behind.

"That’s plenty," Dean said, picking up his backpack to head upstairs.

Tsk, Ohio girls are too hot, Dean thought, feeling he needed to get in better shape.

The office of Judge Witt, Dean had already inquired, was on the third floor of the courthouse.

Finding the corresponding nameplate at the door, Dean politely knocked.

"Come in," Judge Witt called without looking up, still perusing the documents in her hands.

"Judge Witt, I’m Dean Price, we had an appointment from last Friday," Dean introduced himself right away.

"I know," Judge Witt said, putting down the documents and looking up, "What surprised me even more is that not only did you develop an amazing software, but we also met in court just last month."

"Er," faced with Judge Witt’s enigmatic smile, Dean could only spread his hands in apology, "Sorry, Judge Witt, about my father’s case..."

"Dean, relax, it wasn’t your fault," Judge Witt finally offered a kind smile, "And one thing your father and his defense attorney got right is that you indeed are a genius."

"Wow~" Dean was slightly surprised, "Being acknowledged by a judge is something to be proud of, I guess."

"Of course," Judge Witt lifted an eyebrow with a smile, "But speaking of which, is your father’s alcohol treatment program going well?"

"I think it should be fine, he hasn’t touched alcohol for a long time now." Dean lied this time.

"Good!" Judge Witt nodded, pleased that her previous compassion wasn’t wasted.

"Alright, let’s get down to business." After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Judge Witt steered the conversation to the matter at hand and gestured for Dean to take a seat.

Once seated opposite her desk, Dean pulled out a project proposal from his bag and handed it over to her.

"This is a general introduction to the automation program, along with simple instructions for use." Since Dean was planning to present it as a project, he was naturally very prepared.

From the software’s development purpose to its possible features, and its potential impact, the proposal detailed everything meticulously.

Dean was well aware that for public servants or politicians, technical specifications were not of concern; they didn’t care about those details.

You just had to tell them about the impact your product would have programmatically or societally, and that was enough.

And of course, the key was to convince them you could deliver on all these promises.

"Dean, to be honest, it’s even better than I imagined. Your proposal says that in addition to opening up a public query portal, it can also enhance the efficiency of the judicial system.

"For instance, it would allow lawyers, law students, government workers, and nearly everyone else to see court records and case details?" Judge Witt felt she had underestimated Dean’s "ambition."

"Indeed, Judge Witt, that is the future goal of this automated program," Dean said. At the moment, he couldn’t achieve that, not only because of the technical challenges but most importantly because it required the judicial system’s endorsement.

"Let me give you a simple example. Currently, all case files at the Youngstown court are stored as physical documents, right?"

Judge Witt nodded; this was the current situation in most local courts across America. As the number of cases handled each year increased, so did the shelves in the storage rooms.

"However, with this software system, it will be different. Just by using a scanner, it can store all the physical case files into a server.

"Imagine, Judge Witt, when you need to review a historical case but can’t quite remember when it happened, it would mean spending a lot of energy searching through the archives.

"But with this automated program, you just need to input a few keywords, and all information about similar cases will appear on your computer. Cases and files within reach!"

Dean was painting a picture of an ideal system, but it wasn’t unachievable. The most crucial part was that he knew it would be attractive to Judge Witt.

In America’s legal system, which follows ’case law,’ every judge has the need to consult historical cases, and Dean’s software perfectly fits into their work environment.

"Alright, Dean, if you can really achieve this, it will indeed greatly improve the efficiency of Youngstown’s judicial system. But let’s talk about the public access search portal," Judge Witt said.

Judge Witt understood the value of this system, but this wasn’t something she could decide on her own. It involved procedural changes, and without approval from the state supreme court, it would be difficult to move forward.

Of course, Judge Witt did not mention this now but took note of it. If what Dean was suggesting could actually be developed, it wouldn’t just be the courts that needed it.

Other law enforcement agencies such as the Department of Transportation, the Revenue Service, the Department of Corrections, the Bar Association, and so on, would all become users since they are all connected to the judicial system.

Seeing Judge Witt bringing the conversation back to the software’s initial purpose, providing legal information rights to the citizens, Dean didn’t mind; in fact, this was precisely what he was ready to demonstrate.

"Judge Witt, would you mind if I use your computer?" Dean said as he pulled out a hard drive he had prepared in advance.

"Of course," Judge Witt tidied up her desk briefly and then made space.

This time Dean didn’t go under the desk to screw around; he simply connected the pre-arranged cables into the computer’s main unit on the desk and then pressed the restart button.

"Judge Witt, due to the limited time, I’ve only entered the case files from Youngstown’s last month’s hearings into the document database. Of course, this doesn’t affect the use of most functions."

"I understand," Judge Witt replied, not being computer-savvy but still aware that just organizing the case information would take a lot of time.

Once the computer finished booting up, Dean quickly opened the optimized software.

"Judge Witt, look. I have re-optimized the algorithm for the first-time case search feature. Now you can input a name, case number, or company name, and it will filter out the corresponding results."

Under Dean’s guidance, Judge Witt quickly found the prominent search box and, after a bit of thought, typed in the name "Peter Price."

"Uh..." Dean struggled to maintain his composure.

"Wow~ that’s very impressive." Seeing the record of Peter Price’s arrest pop up on the screen, Judge Witt nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay," Dean shrugged; he highly suspected that Judge Witt was making a joke at his expense.

Even so, Dean went on to explain diligently, "While some people are arrested but not convicted, the system still accurately records it. Of course, there will be a note to that effect."

Dean pointed to the remark beneath his father’s case, reminding Judge Witt to look there. "The prosecution’s charges haven’t been proven and do not have legal effect. Peter Price still enjoys the presumption of innocence."

"Very good, Dean. I am finally convinced that you developed this system with a selfless spirit to fight for the public’s right to information," Judge Witt said, clearly more persuaded by Dean’s explanation despite the small joke.

Dean spread his hands, responding as if consoling himself, "Thank you for your trust."

"Now, Dean, that was just a joke," Judge Witt said with a teasing smile finally showing on her face, "What other ’surprises’ does this system have? Let’s discuss them together, as I need to take them to the state court office to ask for support."

Well then, even though he ’sacrificed’ his own father, securing the judge’s approval didn’t sound too bad, did it?

The "filial" Dean instantly got into character, "Judge Witt, in addition to the convenient search function, I’ve also added a court activity calendar. For instance, public trials or hearings, they will be reflected in the main page agenda."

These small tools only play an auxiliary role but shouldn’t be underestimated. Judges can note today’s hearing cases on the calendar, and the public can get some information on open court activities.

Furthermore, the system also categorizes and counts how many cases have been heard each month, even completing some of the work done by clerks.

"As you can see now, Judge Witt, this system can operate within the courthouse as well as provide some functionalities to the outside world. Of course, it is up to the court to decide what can be made public and what requires careful handling."

Dean thoughtfully divided the software permissions, making the search function available to everyone, since that was the initial purpose of its development. But certain administrative tasks like internal document handling and scheduling can only be operated by the court.

After listening to Dean’s presentation, Judge Witt thought for a moment before asking what she considered the most important question.

"Dean, when is the earliest this system could be officially put into use?"