Free Media Guidelines - Florida

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA Media Guidelines (1) Court Orders/Web Page/Electronic Access to Court Records - The Court speaks through its orders. Copies of court orders, pleadings, and other court file documents are available in the Clerk's Offices in the Northern District of Florida. The cost is 50 cent s per page. The Court ' s w eb sit e, w w w .flnd.uscourts.gov, cont ains information pertaining t o orders, schedules, not ices, and filings. Current docket sheets and document s in most pending civil and criminal cases are also available elect ronically over the Internet through the Court' s CM/ECF system. In order to access the system, you w ill need a national PACER (Public Access to Court Elect ronic Records) account. To obtain a PACER account , contact the PACER Service Cent er at : PACER Service Center, P. O. Box 780549, San Antonio, TX 7827 8 (800) 676-6856 or (210) 301-6440 w w w .pacer.psc.uscourts.gov (2) Cameras and Recording Equipment. Cameras and video or sound recording equipment are permitted in a courthouse of the United St ates District Court for the Northern District of Florida only if a judicial of ficer of the Court, or a court -authorized of f icial, has approved in advance the use of the equipment w it hin the court house. Such approval f or limit ed use is normally given upon request for Naturalization Ceremonies, Investit ures, and ot her ceremonial event s. (3) Cell Phones and Electronic Equipment. Cellular phones, pagers, tw o-w ay radios, laptop comput ers, and other electronic equipment must be checked in at the court house entrance securit y desk, and any use thereof is only permitted w ithin the entrance lobby and w ithin plain view of the entrance area security of ficers, unless prior authorization has been received from the presiding judicial of ficer. Court approval for court room use of laptop computers by attorneys w ill normally be granted upon request. (4) Interviews. Media interview s may be conducted in the area outside the front ent rances to the courthouses of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of

Florida, as long as there is no interference w ith normal ingress and egress and no harassment of persons involved in, or observing, court proceedings. No media

interview s shall be conduct ed w ithin the courthouses w ithout the prior approval of the presiding judicial of ficer. In t he event of inclement w eather, interview s may upon request be permitted in the lobbies of the courthouses, subject to any condit ions set by the Court. In high profile or highly publicized cases, and w ith prior authorization by t he presiding judicial of ficer, the counsel of record may arrange for press conferences or media int erview s to be conduct ed, subject to any condit ions set by t he Court. (5) Communications with Jurors. Media represent atives shall not communicate w ith jurors or t heir f amilies during any jury select ion or trial and are prohibited from communicating at any time w it h grand jurors about any matter w hich occurred or may occur before the grand jury, including after the grand jury has completed its service. Media represent atives are prohibit ed from ent ering the jury assembly areas, grand jury rooms, and the jury deliberat ion room at any time during jury selection and t rial (including recesses). (6) Security in Courthouses. All persons, including media represent atives,

entering the federal court houses in the Nort hern Dist rict of Florida are required t o pass through an electronic metal detector and present any bags, parcels, brief cases, equipment, etc. f or inspect ion. Presentation of photo identif ication is also required. (7) Compliance. The Court and the United States Marshals Service w ill enforce these guidelines. sanct ions. (8) Approval by Court. These guidelines w ere approved by t he Court on March 26 t h, 2004 and are eff ective immediately. Failure to comply w ith any of these guidelines may result in

William M. McCool Clerk of Court