GENERAL ORDER No. 58
PROHIBITION OF RECORDING OF COURT PROCEEDINGS;
REGULATING POSSESSION AND USE OF
ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN THE COURTHOUSE
The purposes of this General Order are to promote security for all persons who enter
federal courthouses (meaning the portions of federal buildings occupied by the District Court
and any other facility in which a District Court judicial proceeding is held); to protect the
integrity of judicial proceedings; to shield witnesses, law enforcement officers, and other court
participants and staff from harassment, intimidation and other impermissible conduct; to
facilitate legitimate use of electronic devices for communication or for the storage, retrieval, or
presentation of information; and to comply with the mandates of the Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure and the policies of the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
1. Prohibition of photography and audio/video recording.
(a) Photographing and video and audio recording are prohibited in the
courtrooms and in the common areas of the courthouse (i.e., the corridors and
other areas outside the courtrooms). In addition, photographing or recording
any court proceeding from a location outside the courthouse in conjunction
with remote audio or video access is prohibited.
(b) A judge is authorized to make an exception to the prohibitions established in
(a) and permit photography or recording during court events, ceremonial
occasions, and other gatherings.
(c) Further exceptions to these prohibitions may be authorized only by express
written permission of the Chief Judge.
2. Use of electronic devices.
(a) Definition. The phrase “electronic device” embraces all equipment that can be
used for:
(1) Wireless communication; or
(2) Receiving, creating, capturing, storing, retrieving, sending, or
broadcasting any signals or any text, sound, or images; or
(3) Accessing the internet or any other network or off-site system or
equipment for communicating or for storing or retrieving information.
(b) Permissible uses. Electronic devices may be brought into the courthouse, may
connect to the internet, and may be used in a non-disruptive manner for
purposes other than photography and video and audio recording. Any judge
may restrict, in a standing order or in a specific case or proceeding, the use of
electronic devices, up to and including prohibiting all use of electronic devices
in the courtroom.
(c) Jurors. Jurors may not use electronic devices in courtrooms during judicial
proceedings or in jury rooms during, or in connection with, deliberations.
Grand jurors may not use electronic devices during, or in connection with, any
proceedings before, or deliberations by, the grand jury.
3. Screening of electronic devices.
(a) Court security personnel will screen all electronic devices before permitting
them to be brought into the courthouse to make sure that the items do not
contain weapons, dangerous devices or materials, or contraband.
(b) Court security personnel may bar from the courthouse, or from portions of a
building in which judicial proceedings are held, any item that appears to pose a
threat to security or safety.
(c) In response to a violation of any provision of this General Order, or of any
court order addressing matters covered by this General Order, court security
personnel may order immediate compliance, direct the offender to leave the
courtroom or the building, temporarily confiscate the device(s) used in
violation of these rules, and/or report the violation to the presiding judge, the
Chief Judge, the Clerk of Court and/or the United States Attorney.
ADOPTED: October 20, 2005 FOR THE COURT:
AMENDED: September 15, 2015
AMENDED: March 18, 2024
Richard Seeborg
United States District Chief Judge
