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Amended General Order #GO26-018 (effective April 1, 2026, in effect until December 31, 2027), under California Rules of Court, rule 10.603: absent prior written authorization of the Court, no photographing, recording or broadcasting of court proceedings by the media, attorneys or members of the public in any courthouse or court facility (exceptions for authorized court employees, law enforcement body cameras on official business, and media permitted under rule 1.150 and in the designated media areas of Attachment A); devices turned off while transported; no recording through courtroom door windows; protections for jurors, spectators, judicial officers and court employees; camera-enabled devices allowed if their imaging features are not used; written requests for other exceptions; and penalties.
California > Fourth Appellate District > San Bernardino County > Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino
SUPERIOR COURT COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO 247 West Third Street, Eleventh Floor San Bernardino, CA 92415 IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO IN RE: PHOTOGRAPHY, FILMING, RECORDING, AND BROADCASTING AMENDED GENERAL ORDER #GO26-018 GENERAL ORDER OF THE PRESIDING JUDGE The purpose of this General Order is to protect all persons with business in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, courthouses and court facilities; ensure the safe, secure and orderly conduct of hearings, trials and other court proceedings; and facilitate the safe, secure and efficient handling of court business. This General Order is made pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 10.603, which vests in the Presiding Judge the authority to establish court policies and allocate resources in a manner that promotes access to justice for all members of the public, provides a forum for the fair and expeditious resolution of disputes, maximizes the use of judicial and other resources, increases efficiency in court operations, and enhances service to the public; California Rules of Court, rule 1.150, which governs media coverage within the courtroom; and precedent such as Cox v. Louisiana (1965) 379 U.S. 599 and Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo, Inc v. Williams (1994) 7 Cal.4th 860 concerning valid time, place, and manner restrictions. WHEREFORE, it is ordered: I. DEFINITIONS A. For the purpose of this General Order, the term, “Court” refers to the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. B. “Media” or “media agency” and “media coverage” are defined pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 1.150. 1. “Media” and “media agency” shall mean any person or organization engaging in news gathering or reporting and includes any newspaper, radio or television station or network, news service, magazine, trade paper, in-house publication, professional journal, social media, or other news-reporting or news-gathering agency. 2. “Media coverage” shall mean any photographing, recording or broadcasting of court proceedings by the media using television, radio, photographic or recording equipment. C. “Courthouse” shall mean any building containing, at least, one (1) courtroom. It shall also mean that portion of a multi-purpose commercial or private building that contains, at least, one (1) courtroom. D. “Court facility” shall mean any building or that portion of a multi-purpose commercial or private building where official court business is regularly conducted. II. PROHIBITIONS A. Absent prior written authorization of the Court, there shall be no photographing, recording or broadcasting of court proceedings by the media, attorneys or members of the public within any of its courthouses and court facilities, including, but not limited to, courtrooms, entrances and exits, lobby areas, hallways, stairs, elevators and business offices except: 1. Authorized Court employees may use any camera-enabled or video-enabled device, including but not limited to, cameras, camcorders, cell phones, PDAs, tablets, iPads, iPods and watches, to take photographs or videos in any courthouse, courtroom or court facility; 2. Officers of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies may wear body cameras in a courthouse, courtroom or court facility only while conducting official business on behalf of the law enforcement agency and shall not activate the body camera’s record function unless engaged in an active law enforcement effort in the particular courthouse, courtroom or court facility; and 3. Media members as permitted within a courtroom by a judicial officer pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 1.150, and as permitted in specifically designated areas by the Court as defined in Attachment A. This order is not intended to restrict the ability to photograph, film, record or broadcast from outside the entrances and exits of any courthouse or court facility, provided such activity does not obstruct access to or from the courthouse or court facility. B. Videotaping, photography and electronic recording devices must be turned off while they are transported within any courthouse or court facility. C. Videotaping, photography and electronic recording of the interior of a courtroom through the windows of the courtroom door(s) is prohibited. D. Jurors may not be videotaped, photographed or electronically recorded within a courthouse or court facility at any time, with the exception that once jurors have been discharged from a case and have returned their juror badges, they may be videotaped, photographed or electronically recorded if they consent. Videotaping, photography and electronic recording of any consenting jurors may take place only in the area(s) of a courthouse designated for such purpose. E. Spectators and other members of the public may not be videotaped, photographed or electronically recorded within a courtroom. Spectators and other members of the public, who give their consent, may be videotaped, photographed or electronically recorded in the area(s) of a courthouse designated for such purpose. F. Judicial officers and employees of the Superior Court of California for the County of San Bernardino may not be videotaped, photographed or electronically recorded within a courthouse or court facility without their consent. G. Cell phones or other camera-enabled devices and devices that capture digital images, such as watches, PDAs, tablets, iPads and iPods, may be brought into courthouses and court facilities, as long as the imaging capturing features are not activated, used or displayed without the prior written authorization of the Court. H. The Sheriff’s Department may use video monitoring systems placed in courthouse public hallways, waiting areas, and some courtrooms as well as lockups and the clerk's office to assist in the security of courthouses. Video monitoring systems and images captured by video monitoring systems are court property. Not all video is recorded, and, when recorded, it is retained for only a limited period of time. The recordings are not an official record of court proceedings, and may not be used as such. Government Code section § 69957; NBC Subsidiary (KNBC-TV) v. Superior Court (1999) 20 Cal.4th 1178, 1212 (observing that the public’s right of access does not extend beyond adjudicative proceedings and filed documents). No public disclosure of any recordings shall be made except by authority of the Court Executive Officer or his/her designee. Request for a recording must be submitted to the Court using the Court’s Request for Court Security Video form. III. EXCEPTIONS A. This General Order is not intended to interfere with or restrict the rights of the media to request permission from a judicial officer to allow media coverage within a particular courtroom, nor to interfere with the authority of each judicial officer to rule on requests pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 1.150. B. This general order is not intended to interfere with or restrict a member of the public from using personal equipment to photograph or otherwise copy publicly accessible court documents on court premises, provided the equipment does not physically contact the original documents or records, and subject to restrictions as delineated in Government Code section 68150, subdivision (l). C. Requests for any other exception to this General Order must be submitted to the Court Executive Officer for the consideration of the Presiding Judge or her/his designee. All such requests shall be made in writing and shall include a statement of facts in support of the request. D. Requests to photograph or film unoccupied or unused courtrooms, jury rooms or employee work areas must be submitted to the Court Information Officer. All such requests shall be made in writing and shall include a statement of facts in support of the request. IV. SEVERABILITY Should any provision of the General Order be held invalid, the validity of the other provisions of this General Order shall not be affected. V. NOTICE It is ordered that this General Order shall be posted at each public entrance to a courthouse and on the Court's webpage, www.sb-court.org. The Sheriff of San Bernardino County and his/her deputies are directed to serve a copy of this General Order on any person or organization who appears to be in violation thereof and to advise the person or organization of the apparent violation. If the apparent violation continues after such notice, the Sheriff or his/her deputies are authorized to enforce this General Order to ensure the orderly and peaceable conduct of court business at the courthouse. The Sheriff or his/her deputies shall notify the Court’s Public Safety Officer, Court Counsel, and/or the Supervising Judge of that district or his/her designee of the occurrence. VI. PENALTIES A violation of this General Order may be the basis for an Order terminating further media coverage; a citation for contempt; confiscation of recording equipment, including, but not limited to, cell phones, tablets or other camera-enabled devices and other devices that capture digital images; and/or an Order imposing monetary or other sanctions. VII. EFFECT OF PRIOR ORDERS This order is effective April1, 2026, and supersedes all previous general orders entitled Photography, Filming, Recording, and Broadcasting, issued by previous Presiding Judges. This order shall remain in effect until December 31, 2027. Dated this 1st day of April, 2026. Rod Cortez Presiding Judge of the Superior Court Attachment A - Designated Media Areas by Court Location: Barstow Courthouse (235 E. Mountain View Street Barstow, CA 92311) ➢ Outside the front public entrance under the covered awning at the table benches Big Bear Courthouse (477 Summit Blvd. Big Bear Lake, CA 92315): ➢ On the front lawn area outside of main lobby entrance Fontana Courthouse (17780 Arrow Boulevard Fontana, CA 92335): ➢ Outside the front public entrance at the parking lot eastern sidewalk Historic Courthouse (351 N. Arrowhead Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92415): ➢ The front lawn southwest of the public front entrance Joshua Tree Courthouse (6527 White Feather Rd. Joshua Tree, CA 92252): ➢ The area surrounding the global sculpture outside the front public entrance Juvenile Dependency (860 E. Gilbert Street San Bernardino, CA 92404): ➢ The front lawn area outside the front entrance Juvenile Delinquency (900 E. Gilbert Street San Bernardino, CA 92404): ➢ 20 feet north of the bottom of the pedestrian ramp north of the front entrance Needles Courthouse (1111 Bailey Ave. Needles, CA 92363): ➢ On the front lawn area outside of main lobby entrance Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse (8303 Haven Ave. Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730): ➢ The water fountain display area outside the east front entrance San Bernardino Justice Center (247 W. 3rd Street San Bernardino, CA 92415): ➢ The south platform 30 feet east of the south front entrance doors Victorville Courthouse (14455 Civic Drive Victorville, CA 92392): ➢ Outside the front entrance at the west parking lot sidewalk General Order: Photography, Filming, Recording, and Broadcasting [The order is signed above the printed name. Case names and the closing paragraph's title are italicized in the print; "Cal.4th" (pages 2 and 4) and "3rd" (Attachment A) print their "th" and "rd" superscript; the Attachment A heading is underlined and its court locations are bold. The apostrophes are transcribed as printed: straight in "clerk's" (page 4) and "Court's webpage" (page 6), curly elsewhere. The print's "April1, 2026" and "Inc v. Williams" are transcribed as printed. The running footer "General Order: Photography, Filming, Recording, and Broadcasting" is transcribed once; page numbers and pleading line numbers are omitted.]
SUPERIOR COURT COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO 247 West Third Street, Eleventh Floor San Bernardino, CA 92415 IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO IN RE: PHOTOGRAPHY, FILMING, RECORDING, AND BROADCASTING AMENDED GENERAL ORDER #GO26-018 GENERAL ORDER OF THE PRESIDING JUDGE The purpose of this General Order is to protect all persons with business in the Superior
Reviewer note: Transcribed 2026-10-07 (California T4 San Bernardino build 2026-10-07) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-san-bernardino/docs/forms-filing/photographyfilmingrecordingandbroadcasting.pdf (358569 bytes, sha256 26b185c031a6c6ac2b0d187e529895d389bb62504c3c1e1c5c4cfd11f225691d; 8 pages) - transcribed by eye from the rendered page images (200 dpi), every page read against its image; RapidOCR's reading of each page, and the file's own text layer where it has one, served only as second readers - every six-word window of the transcription was looked up in them and every miss checked on the page image, and every quotation mark, apostrophe and dash checked on a crop of the page (custody vision/check-log.md); captions set cell by cell, zip-code tables one row per line (zip codes | city), pleading continuation marks and line numbers omitted, running footers transcribed once, handwritten fills in place, with a closing bracketed note; a signature itself is not transcribed.
9 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-10.
6 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-13.