Cameras in the Courtroom

The Northern District of California has been participating since October 3, 2011, in the Cameras in the Courtroom Pilot Project created by the Judicial Conference of the United States. The Court’s General Order 65 adopts the Pilot Project Guidelines issued by the Judicial Conference’s Court Administration and Case Management Committee. The national pilot project officially concluded on July 18, 2015, but this District, along with the Western District of Washington and the District of Guam, has been authorized to continue making the Pilot Project available.

Pursuant to the Court’s procedures set out below, civil hearings and bench and jury trials may be recorded by local court personnel and published to a web page where they will be available for viewing or download by parties, counsel and the general public.

Procedures

1. Hearings and trials in any civil case assigned to a judge participating in the Pilot Project are eligible for video recording, upon request and with the consent of the parties and the presiding judge.
   1. The judges currently participating in the Pilot Project are listed on this page.
   2. A Notice of Eligibility for Video Recording will be disseminated with the Order Setting Initial Case Management Conference and ADR Deadlines in every case assigned to the judges participating in the Pilot Project.
   3. When a hearing or trial is noticed or scheduled in a civil case before a participating judge, the judge, any party to the case, or the media may submit a Request for Video Recording through the Court’s website. The presiding judge’s Courtroom Deputy and the Court’s Information Technology Department will receive notification if a request is submitted. Requests for video recording must be submitted at least 21 calendar days before the hearing date.
   4. If a Request for Video Recording is submitted, a Notice of Request for Video Recording will be filed on the case docket.
   5. Consent to recording will be presumed unless a party submits an Objection to Video Recording (.pdf) through the Court’s website within 7 calendar days of the date the Notice of Request for Video Recording is filed. Do not e-file an Objection to Video Recording (.pdf); it will not become part of the public record in the case.
   6. When completing an Objection to Video Recording (.pdf), a party may object to the recording of all or a portion of the proceeding or of only a certain witness or witnesses.
   7. The presiding judge’s Courtroom Deputy will file a Notice Regarding Video Recording on the case docket, which will inform the parties, the requester and the public whether the proceeding, or a portion of it, will be recorded.
2. After a proceeding is video recorded, it will be made available to the public on the U.S. Courts Cameras in Courts web page (USCourts.gov). Videos will be made available as soon as possible, but the Court cannot provide exact dates or guarantee quality.
3. The presiding judge always maintains the discretion not to record any or all of a proceeding or not to publish any or all of a proceeding that has been recorded. Logistical issues such as availability of equipment and staff may also prevent recording.

Questions regarding the Northern District’s participation in the Pilot Project should be directed to cameras@cand.uscourts.gov. Additional information about the Pilot Project can be found at the U.S. Courts Cameras in Courts web page (USCourts.gov).

Forms

• Objection to Video Recording (.pdf)