Courtroom Technology

The Court makes wi-fi available to persons doing business with the court in all Northern District court locations. Users must have a compatible wireless-enabled device to connect to court wi-fi; no wired connections are allowed. Coverage areas include all courtrooms, meeting rooms, libraries, attorney lounges, chambers meeting rooms, and media centers.

Before using court Wi-Fi, users must agree to the following Terms of Use:

Terms of Use

General Information

1. Court Wi-Fi is an entirely wireless service utilizing standard IEEE 802.11B/G/N technology. Court Wi-Fi does not cover any cellular service or any type of wired connectivity.
2. Court Wi-Fi is provided to benefit the bench and the bar, and is intended for use only by attorneys and other persons having business with the court.
3. No technical or other support will be provided by court staff, or by the vendor.
4. If users experience technical difficulty with personally owned equipment, users must consult with their own technology support resources. A user who believes that court Wi-Fi is not functioning should notify the ECF Helpdesk at ecfhelpdesk@cand.uscourts.gov, or 866-638-7829 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding court holidays. The ECF Helpdesk will determine whether court Wi-Fi is operational. In the event that court Wi-Fi is unavailable, alternate arrangements must be made by the user. The court will not modify court Wi-Fi for individual users.
5. Illegal use of the system will be reported to law enforcement.

Proper Use

6. General Order 58 for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California covers the use of electronic devices in the courthouse and must be adhered to at all times. In addition, individual judges may issue specific orders regarding the use of Wi-Fi in their courtrooms and by jurors. It is the responsibility of users to stay abreast of court orders.
7. The court will automatically assign users with an IP address each time a user accesses court Wi-Fi. This IP address is subject to constant change and should NOT be programmed into any device for the purpose of accessing court Wi-Fi.
8. Charging for court Wi-Fi or reselling any aspect of court Wi-Fi is strictly prohibited.
9. Court Wi-Fi must be used for the intended and stated purpose. Improper use includes, but is not limited to:   Modifying, adapting, translating, or reverse engineering any portion of court Wi-Fi; attempting to breach security, access, tamper with or use any unauthorized or restricted areas of court Wi-Fi; removing, tampering with or disabling copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights notices from court Wi-Fi; logging onto court Wi-Fi under false or fraudulent pretenses; accessing court Wi-Fi simultaneously through multiple access points; authorizing or enabling other persons or entities to use court Wi-Fi by disclosing log-in names and passwords; attempting to collect or maintain any information about other users of court Wi-Fi including usernames and/or email addresses, and disclosing same to third parties; transmitting unwanted and unsolicited electronic communications indiscriminately to multiple mailing lists, individuals or newsgroups; sending chain letters to other users, or otherwise interfering with other users’ use of court Wi-Fi; transmitting content that falsely expresses or implies that content, speech or activity is sponsored or endorsed by the United States District Court; infringing, misappropriating or violating the intellectual property, publicity, privacy or other proprietary rights of any party; distributing or engaging in speech that is defamatory, objectionable, unlawful or promotes or encourages illegal activity; transmitting destructive or disabling software or code-like viruses, worms and Trojan horses; using court Wi-Fi for an unlawful, harassing, abusive, criminal or fraudulent purpose; logging onto court Wi-Fi under false or fraudulent pretenses.

Change in Service and Termination

10. To ensure the integrity of the network, the court reserves the right to maintain, monitor, alter, manage or terminate court Wi-Fi and to modify the Terms of Use for any reason without notice; to restrict use to counsel appearing before the court when necessary; and to block data transmissions to protect the United States District Court, court Wi-Fi, and the public.

Privacy & Content Disclaimer

11. Court Wi-Fi does not store the content of online communications or the content of data transfers and court employees do not access the content of any communications or attachments that users send or receive. The court does reserve the right to monitor traffic volume and security. Users understand and agree that the United States District Court may access, preserve, and disclose court Wi-Fi information if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with legal process or to protect the rights and property of the United States District Court or the public.
12. The court does not exercise control over sites that users visit or services that users use. Users should read the privacy policies of all sites visited and services used to learn how personal information is handled. The District Court does not control and is not responsible for data, content, services, or products that users access or download through court Wi-Fi.

User Responsibilities

13. Users understand that court Wi-Fi is not inherently secure and that wireless communications can be intercepted by technology designed and intended for that purpose. The court is not liable to users or third parties for any breach of security that may result from the use of court Wi-Fi; users are fully responsible for providing their own security measures and for taking adequate measures to safeguard data from loss. All equipment, technology and software needed to use court Wi-Fi are the responsibility of the user.

Disclaimer of Warranties

14. Court Wi-Fi and all materials, information, products and services accessed through court Wi-Fi are provided without warranty. Users understand that court Wi-Fi may not be uninterrupted or error free, and that there is no warranty or guarantee that court Wi-Fi will operate at any minimum data transfer speed. Users who download or otherwise obtain material or data through the use of court Wi-Fi do so solely at their own risk and discretion and are solely responsible for any data loss or equipment damage.

Limit of Liability

15. Under no circumstances shall the United States District Court or its suppliers or licensors be liable to any user or any third party due to use of court Wi-Fi. The provision of court Wi-Fi is discretionary and the United States District Court and its suppliers and licensors are not liable for any delay or failure in performance.

Indemnity

16. Users agree to hold harmless and indemnify the United States District Court and its suppliers and licensors from and against any claim arising from or in any way related to the use of court Wi-Fi.

Court Wi-Fi Terms of Use constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to court Wi-Fi, and waiver of any provision of the Terms of Use agreement will be effective only if in writing and signed by the Clerk of Court.

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BY CONNECTING TO THIS SYSTEM I FULLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO THE TERMS OF USE.

Equipment Suitable for Audio Teleconferencing with the Court

Unless specified otherwise by the court, the court does not permit the use of payphones, cellular phones or  speakerphones of any kind when participating in any court proceeding telephonically.

All telephone equipment used for teleconferencing must be fully capable of duplex operation.

Duplex (also known as “full-duplex”) communication mode provides transmission and reception (in both directions) simultaneously. This means that all parties can talk and hear at the same time. A handset or headset is almost always duplex, but you must check the device’s documentation or test it to be sure (if you and the party on the other end can talk and hear at the exact same time – the device is duplex).

Examples of handsets and headsets which are typically capable of duplex operation.

Half-duplex communication (in contrast to duplex) transmits and receives in only one direction at a time. This means that if you are talking, you cannot hear anyone else on the line, and if they are talking, they cannot hear anyone else. Half-duplex telephone communications are unacceptable for most calls.

The Judge or Courtroom Deputy on your case will provide you with all specifics needed for conducting an appearance telephonically.

All courtrooms are equipped with state-of-the-art sound systems which include:

• Full room-wide public address (PA) system.
• Microphones at lecterns, counsel tables and witness box.
• Wireless microphone for jury selection.
• Audio inputs at counsel tables.
• Hearing impaired/interpreter infrared headphones.
• Jury audio-masking system for sidebar conferences.
• Teleconferencing.
• Realtime court reporter transcript distributor.
• 4-channel digital audio recording (when applicable).

You may also be interested in:

• Court Wi-Fi.
• Jury PC: Displaying Electronic Evidence During Deliberations.
• Teleconferencing Guidelines.

Some of the courtrooms are wired for evidence presentation.

These courtrooms are equipped with:

• Dedicated evidence-presentation monitors at the bench, courtroom deputy, counsel tables and jury box.
• One annotation monitor in the witness box.
• Two large flat-screen monitors for viewing evidence from the gallery.
• Video inputs: Standard male cable connections for VGA “DE-15”, or HDMI “Type A” or both (see table below) at counsel tables and lectern. See notes below.
  • Courtrooms with VGA-only, support only Standard Definition (SD), standard-screen (4:3) video.
  • Courtrooms HDMI support High Definition (HD), wide-screen (16:9) video.
  • Courtrooms with both support both.

Of these courtrooms, some have the following equipment either permanently installed, or equipment may be provided by the court if available.

Counsel should contact the courtroom deputy to check on the availability of this equipment:

• Document camera.
• Audio and video inputs at the lectern(s).
• Annotation monitor at the lectern(s) to displays the image from the laptop or camera, and allows annotation of the image.
• DVD/CD player.
• VHS player.

Please consult with the courtroom deputy regarding the availability of specific equipment in each courtroom. Counsel must be prepared to provide their own evidence presentation equipment if the court cannot, and to provide back-up equipment in the event of equipment malfunction.

The table below provides connection details for each courtroom:

City	Floor	Courtroom	Judge	EEPS
SF	15	A	Magistrate Judge Tsen	n/a
SF	15	B	Magistrate Judge Beeler	n/a
SF	15	C	Magistrate Judge Kim	n/a
SF	15	D	Magistrate Judge Spero	n/a
SF	15	E	Magistrate Judge Hixon	n/a
SF	15	F	Magistrate Judge Kang	n/a
SF	15	G	Magistrate Judge Cisneros	n/a
SF	17	1	Senior District Judge Illston	VGA & HDMI
SF	17	2	District Judge Orrick	VGA & HDMI
SF	17	3	Chief District Judge Seeborg	VGA & HDMI
SF	17	4	District Judge Chhabria	VGA & HDMI
SF	17	5	Senior District Judge Chen	VGA & HDMI
SF	17	6	Senior District Judge Breyer	VGA & HDMI
SF	18	14	As assigned	n/a
SF	18	15	District Judge Rita F. Lin	VGA
SF	19	7	Senior District Judge Chesney	HDMI
SF	19	8	District Judge Corley	VGA
SF	19	9	District Judge Thompson	VGA & HDMI
SF	19	10	District Judge Martínez-Olguín	VGA
SF	19	11	District Judge Donato	HDMI
SF	19	12	Senior District Judge Alsup	HDMI
SF	19	13	Ceremonial – As assigned	n/a
SJ	5	1	District Judge Freeman	VGA & HDMI
SJ	5	2	Magistrate Judge DeMarchi	HDMI
SJ	5	3	District Judge Wise	VGA & HDMI
SJ	5	4	Senior District Judge Davila	VGA & HDMI
SJ	4	5	Magistrate Judge Cousins	HDMI
SJ	4	6	Magistrate Judge van Keulen	HDMI
SJ	4	7	District Judge Lee	HDMI
SJ	4	8	District Judge Pitts	VGA & HDMI
Oak	4	1	District Judge Gonzalez Rogers	VGA & HDMI
Oak	4	2	District Judge Gilliam	VGA
Oak	3	3	Senior District Judge Hamilton	VGA & HDMI
Oak	3	4	Chief Magistrate Judge Ryu & Magistrate Judge Westmore	n/a
Oak	2	5	Senior District Judge White	VGA & HDMI
Oak	2	6	District Judge Tigar	HDMI
Eur	1	1	Magistrate Judge Illman	VGA & HDMI

The court has available in each courthouse a computer specially configured to allow jurors to view evidence in digital formats — the “CAND JuryPC.” Some judges provide for the use of a JuryPC in their standing and pretrial orders, but counsel may also suggest the use of a JuryPC as part of the pretrial planning process.

Counsel should provide evidence needed by the jury during deliberations in compatible electronic (“digital”) format, also known as “e-Evidence.” The JuryPC allows jurors to search and access all e-Evidence admitted in the case, using the Microsoft Windows platform.

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Technical Specifications

• Standard Microsoft Windows computer.
• 19-inch or larger flat screen monitor.
• Standard external amplified stereo speakers.
• Mouse.
• Keyboard.
• Read-only USB port.
• Read-only CD/DVD disc drive.
• Read-only floppy disc drive.
• No Blu-Ray drive, printer, scanner or other peripherals will be provided.

Computer are preloaded with common software needed to view and search most types of media, including, but not limited to:

1. Microsoft Windows operating system.
2. Adobe Acrobat (PDF documents).*
3. Microsoft Word (documents).
4. Microsoft Excel (spreadsheets).
5. Microsoft PowerPoint (presentations).
6. Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 (offline mode only).*
7. Mozilla Firefox 20.0 (offline mode only).*
8. Windows Media Player 12 (audio/video).*
9. Windows Media Center 7 (audio/video).*
10. Corel WordPerfect (documents).
11. VLC Media Player (audio/video).*
12. Apple QuickTime Media Player (audio/video).*
13. Audacity Audio Player (audio).*

* Indicates no-cost “freeware” included with the Windows operating system.

Simple written instructions for the jurors are provided with the JuryPC, but if jurors request training, the Court’s IT Department can provide guidance with the approval of the judge.

Some software has built-in functions that cannot be disabled which allow for some common enhancements, such as zooming/enlarging, volume, audio equalizing, contrast/brightness, etc. The Court’s IT Department will not provide any information on how to use these functions, but jurors may access any of the application’s built-in help information.

Most unnecessary programs, functions and information within the Microsoft Windows operating system and programs on the computer (such as games) have been removed or disabled to the degree it is feasible or technically possible. All hardwired and wireless networking has been physically removed or disabled. All external drives and USB connections have been configured as “read only” to help prevent unauthorized copying of any data off of the computer.

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Counsel is encouraged to check this website for updates on the hardware, software and configuration of this system, or contact the Courtroom Deputy.

If specialized software is needed to display specific e-Evidence files which cannot be viewed using the applications above (such as security camera footage, multi-track recordings, etc.), counsel is advised to export or convert the files to a compatible format for use with the applications listed above. If this is not possible or would be a hindrance to the presentation, at least two (2) business days advance notice, counsel may request via the Courtroom Deputy that the specialized software be loaded by counsel prior to use of the system. If the judge and the court’s IT Department approve, the Courtroom Deputy will schedule and coordinate the installation with counsel and the court’s IT Department. All software must be compatible with the specifications listed above, and the court shall not be responsible for any software or hardware costs associated with any special needs of counsel.

Jurors will have “guest” access to the computer which will only allow them to view and search the e-Evidence provided. This limited authority access to the computer will inhibit their ability to alter the computer, install programs, access networking and/or internet, or tamper with other systems.

Upon issuance of a computer for jury use, the judge’s Courtroom Deputy will be responsible for storing and securing the computer for the entire duration of the deliberation, as well as contacting counsel or the court’s IT Department, should there be issues with the computer.

The court shall not be responsible for correcting or adapting for any problems that counsel may experience with their e-Evidence. For example, the court will not address issues such as audio playing out of synchronization with the video in a movie file, an audio file which is too quiet, blurry/dark images, etc.

The court maintains a backup of the entire system in an unused condition. At the conclusion of each use, this backup will be restored to the computer, which obliterates all traces of previous use and ensures that all material loaded for any previous jury will not be available to the next.

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Instructions for Counsel

1. Counsel is instructed to prepare all e-Evidence on a portable media device, such as a USB key (“thumb drive”), portable hard drive, etc. CD-ROM and floppy discs are also acceptable, although not as efficient. The device should contain only the e-Evidence to be submitted and no other files whatsoever. It’s highly advised to format (wipe) the device prior to loading with e-Evidence to ensure no extraneous or deleted files are present.
2. Documents which exist in word-processing format (such as Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, etc.), spreadsheets (Excel, etc.) and other “editable” documents must be submitted in their original format where possible, as well as a text-searchable copy in Adobe Acrobat “PDF” format, which preserves the original formatting.
3. All Adobe Acrobat “PDF” files should be in text-searchable format where possible.
4. Physical items must be photographed and submitted in a digital format (.jpeg, etc.), or as an Acrobat PDF file.
5. Counsel shall convert all e-Evidence to be compatible with the programs provided by the court (listed above) and pre-test all e-Evidence on their own equipment using the exact same programs, or they may schedule a time to pre-test on the court’s equipment.
6. Counsel shall be required to provide instructions and support to the jury for any specialized programs provided with e-Evidence.
7. Aside from DVD movies which must be played directly from the DVD drive, in order for e-Evidence files to play properly, they must be copied from the portable media to the hard drive of the computer. The computer has a built-in automated application for doing this, and the court can assist with this process if needed.
8. All counsel will be required to review and approve all of the e-Evidence copied to the computer, prior to it being issued to the jury for their deliberations.
9. Counsel must label (name) all files submitted in a logical naming convention which would be easy for jurors to understand, as well as following all guidance provided by the court regarding the labeling (file naming) of the e-Evidence.
10. The court cannot provide Blu-ray players, or other specialty media at this time.
11. Prior to use by the jury, counsel are required to load all applicable files onto the Jury PC, and to ensure that the files are complete, operational, and do not contain anything extraneous. Loading the files is automatic, and instructions are provided on the Jury PC itself.

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Naming Conventions for use with the CAND Jury PC

All exhibit names must begin with numerical characters as issued by the court upon submission of the exhibit.

General Format

<3 digit exhibit number> – <part>_<description>.<file extension>

Examples

Documents: 001_Financial Statement.pdf –> 002-a_Financial Statement Detail.pdf

Pictures: 003_Picture of Suspect.jpg –> 003-a_Picture Suspect Close Up.gif

Audio: 019_Phone Conversation 1.mp3 –> 019-a_Phone Conversation 2.wav

Video: 412_Person in Store.mpg –> 412-c_Person carrying TV.mpg

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IMPORTANT NOTES

• All exhibits shall be described using neutral and non-adversarial terms.
• If exhibit stickers are used for paper/physical exhibits, the electronic exhibits provided for use in the CAND Jury PC should not display the exhibit numbering stickers. The exhibit description given to the electronic version replaces the use of exhibit stickers.
• To ensure proper sorting, leading zeros (“0”) should be used so all exhibit numbering is the same length.
• All file and folder naming must be compatible with the Microsoft Windows file format:
  • All file names must with the appropriate extension (.PDF for Adobe Acrobat, .DOC/DOCX for Microsoft Word, .JPG/.JPEG for “jpeg” images, etc.)
  • File and folder names must be less than 200 characters
  • The following characters are not allowed in the file or folder names: < (less than), > (greater than), : (colon), ” (double quote), / (forward slash), \ (backslash), , | (vertical bar or pipe), ? (question mark), * (asterisk).

The court highly recommends that counsel be familiar their equipment and fully test prior to using anything in the courtroom. Please test the audio and video outputs of your equipment at your office or home by connecting to external headphones, monitor or projector if possible, and schedule a visit in the courtroom to test everything before the proceeding.

1. Connect the provided VGA cable (or HDMI cable where available – see above) to your equipment’s video port. See notes below.
   
2. Connect the audio cable plug into the laptop’s headphone jack, which is usually marked with a headset icon. HDMI connections do not need the audio connected separately, as HDMI includes both audio and video.
   
3. Turn laptop on last. For VGA courtrooms, your laptop display resolution must be set to 1024 x 768.
4. The Courtroom Deputy will select your table to test that your laptop is projecting to the court’s monitors properly.

If your laptop display does not appear on the courtroom screens:

1. Use the laptop keys to toggle the external display – usually by pressing and holding the “Fn” key down, then momentarily pressing the Display Key. The Display Key is usually the F8 or F5 key, or whichever key is marked with “VGA/LCD” or a monitor logo. As you press the Display Key again, most laptops will cycle between displaying on the laptop screen, then the external screen, then both.
   
   Please note that the display/monitor key may vary by manufacturer, so check your owner’s manual.
2. Check that the video cable is securely connected to the device’s video output port.
3. For VGA courtrooms, the screen resolution must be set to 1024 x 768. No other resolution is compatible.

As indicated above, for inputs to the system, courtrooms have male connector cables for VGA “DE-15” , or HDMI”Type A”, or both. The court will not provide any additional adapters, cables, etc. Counsel must provide anything additional needed in order to connect their equipment to the court’s systems.

For laptops with only HDMI video outputs, which must connect to courtrooms with VGA only, counsel must provide an HDMI-to-VGA adapter or cable which is compatible with the HDMI port on the counsel’s equipment.

Apple devices require an inexpensive and readily available adapter to connect to court systems. Note that iOS devices (iPads, iPhones, iPods, etc.) may not be compatible with the court’s VGA-only courtrooms.

Older iOS devices with 30-pin connectors (iPhone 4, iPad 2 and below) need an Apple 30-pin Digital AV Adapter, such as the ones available from Amazon.

Newer iOS devices with “Lightning” connectors (iPhone 5 and above, iPad Air and above and iPad Mini) need a Lightning Digital AV Adapter, such as the ones available from Apple, Amazon and elsewhere.

Current MacBooks with USB-C need a USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, available from Amazon.

Current iMac, MacBook Air and MacBookPro with Thunderbolt 2/Mini DisplayPort need a Mini Display Port to HDMI Adapter, also available from Amazon.