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A general order of the Presiding Judge, effective immediately and in effect until otherwise ordered by the Presiding Judge: no one except authorized Court and court security personnel may photograph, record or broadcast, or activate any camera, microphone, recorder or broadcasting device, in any courtroom or courthouse where the Court conducts business - including entrances, exits, hallways, escalators, elevators and adjacent or subterranean court parking areas - except as Local Rules, Rule 19.3, California Rules of Court, rule 1.150, this order or another order of a judicial officer permits (a law enforcement officer's passive body camera allowed); the definitions of a Camera, a Wearable Electronic Device and Wearable Camera, and a Personal Electronic Device; except for media representatives, no person may bring a Camera, Wearable Electronic Device or Wearable Camera into any courthouse (security personnel may require a press pass, other verifiable press credentials or a copy of a current filed petition seeking a court order); Personal Electronic Devices may be brought in but used only in accordance with rule 1.150 and Local Rule 19.3, and may be inspected by court security personnel; portable scanners, cameras or copiers used solely to image documents; devices silenced or turned off before entering a courtroom; violations may result in seizure of the device, monetary sanctions under section 177.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure, contempt under sections 128 and 1209 and arrest under Penal Code sections 166(a)(4), 166(a)(5) and 632; and the duties of court staff, security personnel and peace officers who become aware of a violation.
California > First Appellate District > Sonoma County > Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SONOMA USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COURTHOUSE GENERAL ORDER No one except authorized Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma (Court) and court security personnel may engage in photographing, recording, or broadcasting, or activating any camera, microphone, recorder, or broadcasting device in any courtroom or courthouse in the County where the Court conducts business, including all entrances, exits, hallways, escalators, elevators, and adjacent or subterranean court parking areas except as permitted by Superior Court of Sonoma County, Local Rules, Rule 19.3 and California Rules of Court, rule 1.150, or as permitted by this order or other order of a judicial officer as set forth herein. This order shall not preclude any law enforcement officer from taking appropriate steps to ensure the orderly and peaceable conduct of court business at a courthouse, including the recording of criminal activity in progress. A law enforcement officer’s use of a body camera for passive recording is allowed, provided the camera is set to automatically overwrite data within the timeframe prescribed by the officer’s departmental standards. For purposes of this rule, the following definitions apply: a) Camera – Any device that has a primary function of recording images and is not part of a multifunction device such as a “smartphone.” b) Wearable Electronic Device and Wearable Camera – Any miniature electronic device that is worn under, with, or on top of clothing and having a primary purpose of image capture or recording (such as Personal Body Cameras, Go Pro Cameras, Lapel Pin cameras, etc.). c) Personal Electronic Device – Any device capable of communicating, transmitting, receiving, or recording messages, images, sounds, data, or other information by any means including but not limited to a computer, tablet, cell phone, smartphone, or Bluetooth device. This order applies to the use of any and all Cameras, Wearable Electronic Devices and Wearable Cameras and Personal Electronic Devices as defined above. Except for representatives of media or media agencies as defined in California Rules of Court, rule 1.150(b)(2), no person shall bring into any courthouse a Camera, Wearable Electronic Device, or Wearable Camera as defined above. No person shall operate a Camera, Wearable Electronic Device, Wearable Camera, or Personal Electronic Device in violation of California Rules of Court, rule 1.150 and Superior Court of Sonoma County Local Rule 19.3. To establish whether a person is bringing a Camera, Wearable Electronic Device, or Wearable Camera into the courthouse for the purpose of media coverage, security personnel may require that person to either provide a press pass issued by a local law enforcement agency, other verifiable press credentials, or a copy of a current filed petition seeking a court order. Personal Electronic Devices may be brought into a court facility but may be used only in accordance with California Rules of Court, Rule 1.150 and Local Rule 19.3. All electronic devices may be inspected by court security personnel. All persons entering any courthouse shall comply with Sonoma County Superior Court, Local Rules, Rule 19.3, which provides: “Photographing or recording of any kind by the media and general public is not permitted in any part of a court facility or location, including, but not limited to lobby areas, hallways, stairs, and elevators.” This order does not prohibit the use of portable scanners, cameras, or copiers, provided such devices are used solely for the permissive purpose of imaging documents. Prior to entering a courtroom, cellular phones, pagers, and all other electronic communication or recording devices must be silenced or, in the discretion of the judicial officer, turned off. No such device shall be handled in any way as to indicate that a picture, audio, or video recording is being taken except in compliance with Local Rule 19.3. Any such device which disrupts the proceedings shall be subject to confiscation and search. Nothing in this order shall restrict a judicial officer’s discretion to regulate the use of such devices in their courtroom. This order is for the protection of the public, all parties, and court personnel, and to facilitate the fair and orderly resolution of cases. This order is subject to modification based upon specific circumstances and the discretion of an individual judicial officer in that judicial officer’s courtroom, the Supervising Judge of a discipline, or the Assistant Presiding Judge in the event of the unavailability of the Presiding Judge. A copy of this order shall be posted on the Court’s Web site and shall be made reasonably available. Violation of this order may result in seizure of the device, monetary sanctions pursuant to section 177.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and/or a finding of contempt pursuant to sections 128 and 1209 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and/or arrest pursuant to Penal Code sections 166(a)(4), 166(a)(5), and 632. Any court staff, security personnel, or peace officer who becomes aware that a person is using a device in violation of this order is directed to advise such individual orally of this order and take steps to provide the person with a written copy of this order as soon as practical. Security personnel or a peace officer who has reasonable cause to believe a violation of this order has occurred are requested to prepare an incident report, and if the circumstances warrant immediate corrective action because the person persists in violating this order despite being informed of it or has violated the order in a way that appears to have a significant adverse impact upon court security or the fair and orderly resolution of cases, shall take possession of the device and bring the person without unnecessary delay to the courtroom judicial officer, discipline Supervising Judge, Assistant Presiding Judge or Presiding Judge, as may be appropriate, to determine if there is sufficient cause to believe there has been a violation of this order without good cause or substantial justification. Such judicial officer may take such action or issue such orders concerning the device or issue an order to show cause regarding imposition of sanctions or contempt pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure sections 128, 177.5, and 1209, as may be appropriate. GOOD CAUSE APPEARING THEREFOR, IT IS SO ORDERED. Effective immediately, this General Order is to remain in effect until otherwise ordered by the Presiding Judge. DATED: May 27, 2025 CHRISTOPHER HONIGSBERG PRESIDING JUDGE SONOMA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SONOMA USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COURTHOUSE GENERAL ORDER No one except authorized Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma (Court) and court security personnel may engage in photographing, recording, or broadcasting, or activating any camera, microphone, recorder, or broadcasting device in any courtroom or courthouse in the County where the Court conducts
Reviewer note: Transcribed 2026-10-08 (California T4 Sonoma build 2026-10-08) by eye from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-sonoma/docs/news/general-order-re-cameras-courthouse-5-27-2025.pdf (1196971 bytes, sha256 be2863a49ad24beaabf308003f23a3c0eada381cf6edf680fc227971c3c41646; 4 pages; a scan, scanned page images with an invisible OCR text layer): read on the page images rendered at 200 dpi; checked against two machine readings never published (RapidOCR on each page and the file's own OCR text layer): every 6-word window of the transcription looked up, and the four spans no reading holds - each at a page break or at the caption, where the readings run the running footer or the caption's cells into the text - read again on the page image (vision/vision_tools.py). The clerk's filed stamp, the signature and the pleading paper's line numbers are not part of the text (the handwritten date is carried where it fills the order's date line); the transcription's closing note, which describes them, is not published.
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.