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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Courts - "Real Time Texting OKed by UK Supreme Court"

See this post from the Law Librarian Blog. In brief, the official policy is:

[A]ny member of a legal team or member of the public is free to use text-based communications from court, providing (i) these are silent; and (ii) there is no disruption to the proceedings in court. No one present in a courtroom is permitted to use a mobile device to make a telephone call, or to receive such a call.
Our Supreme and Appellate Courts do not, as far as I am aware, have any published policy re the use of text-based communications in court. There is a policy on cameras, but the policy seems to be decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis and it applies only to media:
To cover a Supreme Court argument, the media must fax a request to be a candidate for the media pool prior to the argument date. No formal rule exists that requires submission of a request by a specific deadline, but it is recommended that any photographer wishing to cover the hearing contact the Court approximately 48 hours prior to the scheduled time. If there are more requests than positions, the Court will select individuals by random drawing.

The Court of Appeals guidelines allow the judicial panel hearing the case to determine whether cameras or recorders would detract from the process or argument. The media must request permission from the three-judge panel hearing the case to allow equipment in the courtroom. The request must be submitted 48 hours prior to the scheduled time for the appellate argument.

Thoughts?

Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 12, 2011 10:09 AM
Posted to Courts in general