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.
