Photo and Electronics Policy

This policy explains how cameras and electronic devices can be used in Ninth Circuit courthouses and other places where the court holds hearings.

The courthouses include:

• James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse (San Francisco)

• Richard H. Chambers U.S. Courthouse (Pasadena)

• Pioneer U.S. Courthouse (Portland)

• William K. Nakamura U.S. Courthouse (Seattle)

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Honolulu)

• The same rules apply when the court meets in other locations, like district courthouses or law schools.

General Rules

• You may bring cameras, phones, tablets, laptops, and other wireless devices into the courthouse.

• You may use them in public areas to make calls, send texts or emails, or go online. You may also take photos in public areas

• For reasons of privacy, safety, and security, the use of electronic devices for photography, audio or video recording, or live transmission is not permitted in security screening areas.

• You may not take photos of judges or court staff without their permission.

• To take photos or recordings during a court session, you must get advance permission. Contact [need email address].

• During hearings, you may not take photos, make audio or video recordings, or make phone calls. You may use devices quietly for notes, texts, or email. Ring tones and sounds must be turned off. Only quiet keyboards are allowed.

• The presiding judge may limit or ban devices at any time to protect fairness or keep order.

• If the court is meeting in another location, that venue’s stricter rules apply unless the court says otherwise.

• This policy is posted in courthouses and on the court’s website. If you don’t follow the rules, you may be removed or face other penalties.

(Policy adopted June 23, 2001; updated January 13, 2020)