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Saturday, June 23, 2007
Ind. Courts - Huntington bans phones in courtrooms, not courthouses
An editorial in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette this week (Allen County was the first to banish cell phones from the courthouse) suggested:
Local judges ... should at least consider banning phones from courtrooms but not from the buildings. Large signs should be placed at each courtroom entrance; judges can remind everyone of the ban when proceedings begin; bailiffs and security personnel can seize phones when they are displayed – or ring.Yesterday Dave Schultz of the Huntington Herald-Press reported that the Huntington courts had done just that:
No one is allowed to have a cell phone in either the Huntington Circuit Court or the Huntington Superior Court.Circuit Court Judge Thomas Hakes and Superior Court Judge Jeff Heffelfinger have both signed an order that is posted on the doors of their courtrooms.
The notice says that phones will be confiscated. Anyone who has a cell phone in a courtroom shall “be subject to being held in contempt for violation of this Court Order.”
“In today's society, cell phones are more than just phones - they also serve as devices capable of taking pictures and video,” Heffelfinger said in a statement. “In an effort to avoid disruption in court proceedings from cell phones ringing and to avoid individuals from taking pictures or recording during court sessions, the ban on cell phones in the courtroom was instituted.” * * *
[Carmen Oswalt, who works in the Circuit Court office,] said spectators can leave phones with court personnel prior to entering the courtroom.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 23, 2007 01:58 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts