Except by permission of the presiding judge, no person will photograph,
videotape, televise, broadcast, or record, or cause to be photographed, videotaped,
televised, broadcast, or recorded any courtroom proceeding, including
proceedings of the grand jury. No person will take any photographic, videotape,
television, or sound recording equipment into (1) any courtroom except upon the
express permission of the presiding judge, or (2) any jury room, or (3) any corridor
on the floor on which a courtroom or jury room is located. This paragraph does
not apply to (1) the official court reporter who may use a voice-recording device
in connection with his or her official duties, or (2) the use of electronic means for
the presentation of evidence or the perpetuation of the record as authorized by
the court.
2/28/2025
Cellular phones and electronic devices may be brought into courthouses in the
United States District Court for South Dakota unless the presiding judge places
restrictions on these devices. All cellular and electronic devices must be turned
off in the courtroom and any corridor on the floor on which a courtroom or jury
room is located unless specifically authorized by order of the court. Cellular and
electronic devices are devices capable of communicating, transmitting, receiving,
or recording messages, images, sounds, data, or other information by any means,
including but not limited to, a computer tablet, cell phone, or Bluetooth device.
Individuals who bring such devices into courtrooms may be asked by court
security personnel to demonstrate that the device is turned off. Members of the
Bar and employees of members of the Bar are exempt from this provision.
Use of any camera or sound recording devices in a courtroom or any corridor on
the floor on which a courtroom or jury room is located is prohibited unless
specifically authorized by order of the court.
However, an electronic device that is essential to a person’s health or welfare
(such as an insulin pump) may remain on in the courtroom.
News media personnel who possess recording devices will be allowed entry into a
court facility, provided the news media personnel are escorted through the
building by a representative of the tenant agency being visited. If no tenant
representative is available, entry with the recording devices will be denied. In
courthouses where jury and grand jury facilities are located contiguous to public
access corridors, news media personnel will not be allowed to possess recording
devices on the floors housing the jury and grand jury facilities during jury
deliberations or grand jury sessions.
Photographic, videotape, television, and sound recording devices are permitted in
courtrooms and in adjacent corridors for naturalization ceremonies, investitures,
attorney admissions, and other ceremonial functions unless specifically
prohibited by the court.
