The highlight of his endeavor: a public Web site on which all of the evidence would be posted as soon as it's introduced in court.
In this case, that could include video surveillance and audio wiretaps, as well as conversations secretly recorded by FBI informants.
Legal and journalism experts say nothing similar has ever been attempted in the federal judiciary, and they said these moves could be the first step in bringing the federal courts - and the reporters covering them - into the multimedia world.
"It sounds audacious and sensible at the same time," said Richard Lavinthal, a legal public relations consultant. "It's really what the Internet was meant for. It's a pure information medium, and I really tip my hat to Judge Kugler."
Lavinthal, a former spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey during the tenures of Samuel Alito and Michael Chertoff, created the first Web site for federal prosecutors in the mid-1990s.
Kugler said he hoped the Fort Dix trial Web site, which has been created and attached to the U.S. District Court of New Jersey's Web page, will save court employees time answering phone calls from the public. The court plans to post information of every kind, including notices of hearings, rules for the court, and even suggestions for parking and dining in Camden.
While using the Internet in this way is hardly a new concept, few federal cases have been large enough or drawn enough outside interest to require online help to manage them.
The Fort Dix case, though, has six defendants and their families, and potentially hundreds of locally interested spectators, including families and personnel at Fort Dix, the de facto victims.
The case, with its loaded terminology of terrorism, jihad and al-Qaeda influences, also has drawn international headlines, and a large media contingent is sure to cover the trial.
