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No one but authorized court and court security personnel may photograph, record or broadcast in any courtroom, courthouse or court facility except as permitted by Local Rule 26.00, California Rules of Court, rule 1.150, or an order; the definitions of Camera, Wearable Electronic Device and Wearable Camera, and Personal Electronic Device; cameras and wearable cameras not brought into a courthouse except by authorized media representatives with a court order and press credential; personal electronic devices used only under Local Rule 26.00; copying court records with one's own equipment after informing the Clerk (Government Code section 68150); posting; and seizure, sanctions, contempt or arrest for violations.
California > Second Appellate District > Ventura County > Superior Court of California, County of Ventura
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF VENTURA In re: USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COURTHOUSE AMENDED GENERAL ORDER No. 18.12 No one except authorized court and court security personnel may engage in photographing, recording, or broadcasting, or activate any camera, microphone, recorder or broadcasting device in any courtroom, courthouse or court facility in the county where the Court conducts business, including the full entry security screening areas, lobby, courtrooms, judges’ chambers, clerk’s offices, court offices and the hallways adjacent to these areas, except as permitted by Ventura County Superior Court Local Rules, rule 26.00, 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. Court facilities do not include offices occupied by non-court agencies, including the District Attorney’s Office and Victim Services Division, the Public Defender’s Office or the County Law Library. For purposes of this order, the following definitions apply: Camera - Any device that has a primary function of recording images and is not part of a multifunction device such as a "smartphone." 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 Google Glass, Go Pro Cameras, Lapel Pin cameras). 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, or blue-tooth 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. No person shall bring into any courthouse a Camera, Wearable Electronic Device, or Wearable Camera as defined above, nor may any person operate a Camera or Personal Electronic Device in violation of Ventura County Superior Court Local Rule 26.00 and/or California Rules of Court, rule 1.150, except that authorized media representatives as defined by California Rules of Court, rule 1.150(b)(2), who possess a current and valid court order authorizing the possession and use of a Camera, Personal Electronic Device or Wearable Camera under California Rules of Court, rule 1.150 and/or Local Rule 26.00, may be permitted to enter the courthouse with a Camera, Personal Electronic Device or Wearable Camera for the purpose of media coverage. To establish whether a person is bringing a Camera, Personal Electronic Device or Wearable Camera into the courthouse for the purpose of media coverage, security personnel, including but not limited to the Ventura County Sheriff and private security contractors hired by the County of Ventura and/or the Ventura County Superior Court, must require the person to provide a current and valid press pass issued by a law enforcement agency or a press credential bearing the name and photograph of the person, as well as a copy of a current and valid court order authorizing the media coverage pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 1.150 and/or Ventura County Superior Court Local Rule 26.00. Personal Electronic Devices may be brought into a court facility, but may be used only in accordance with Local Rule 26.00. All electronic devices may be inspected by court security personnel. All persons entering any courthouse shall comply with Ventura County Superior Court, Local Rule 26.00.B. Consistent with Government Code section 68150, subdivision (l)(3)(A), this order does not prohibit the use of a portable scanner, Camera, Wearable Electronic Device and Wearable Camera, Personal Electronic Device, or other equipment for purposes of photographing or otherwise copying a court record as long as the Clerk is first informed of this intended purpose and such equipment does not make physical contact with the court record or damage it. To the extent that Local Rule 26.00 is inconsistent with this paragraph, it is superseded by this amended administrative order until such time that Rule 26.00 can be amended consistent with Government Code section 68150, subdivision (l)(3)(A). The Court’s Records Department may have additional procedures applicable to the copying of court records through the use of a requester’s own equipment. 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 Presiding Judge or the Assistant Presiding Judge in the event of the unavailability of the Presiding Judge and the supervising judge of the Juvenile Courthouse. A copy of this order shall be posted on the Court's website and shall be made reasonably available or posted near every security entry point into each court building, and other locations conducting court business. Violation of this order may result in seizure of the device and/or search as permitted by law. Further, any person who violates this order and/or Local Rule 26.00, may be subject to monetary sanctions under Code of Civil Procedure section 177.5, California Rules of Court, rule 1.150(f) and/or a finding of contempt under Code of Civil Procedure sections 128 and 1209 and/or arrest under 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 and report the incident to Ventura County Sheriff Court Services. Ventura County Sheriff personnel or any other law enforcement officer who have reasonable cause to believe a violation of this order has occurred shall 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 administration of justice, shall take possession of the device and bring the person without unnecessary delay to the courtroom judicial officer, 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 to show cause regarding imposition of sanctions or contempt pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure sections 128, 177.5, and 1209 and/or California Rules of Court, rule 1.150(f), as may be appropriate. Effective immediately, this order shall remain in effect, until otherwise ordered by the Presiding Judge. General Order 18.12 is hereby amended, superseded and replaced by this order. GOOD CAUSE APPEARING THEREFOR, IT IS SO ORDERED. Dated: March 10, 2026. Matthew P. Guasco Presiding Judge Superior Court of California, County of Ventura USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COURTHOUSE Amended General Order 18.12 [The clerk's filed stamp, upper right of page 1, reads "VENTURA SUPERIOR COURT FILED MAR 10 2026 K. BIEKER Executive Officer and Clerk BY: (signed) Deputy". The day "10" of the date line is handwritten on a blank. The order is signed above the printed name. The caption is set cell by cell (the left box, then the right box), both in bold; the defined terms "Camera", "Wearable Electronic Device and Wearable Camera" and "Personal Electronic Device" print in bold. The print mixes curly and straight apostrophes ("judicial officer's", "Court's website"); each is transcribed as printed. "(l)" in "subdivision (l)(3)(A)" is the letter l. The court's Administrative Orders page lists the order as "18.12 AMENDED - March 10, 2026 - In Re: Use of Cameras in the Courthouse"; the order calls itself both an amended general order and an "amended administrative order". The running footer "USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COURTHOUSE / Amended General Order 18.12" is transcribed once; page numbers and pleading line numbers are omitted.]
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF VENTURA In re: USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COURTHOUSE AMENDED GENERAL ORDER No. 18.12 No one except authorized court and court security personnel may engage in photographing, recording, or broadcasting, or activate any camera, microphone, recorder or broadcasting device in any courtroom, courthouse or court facility in the county where the Cour
Reviewer note: Transcribed 2026-10-07 (California T4 Ventura build 2026-10-07) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-ventura/docs/general/amended-18-12_general-order-use-cameras-courthouse_03-10-2026.pdf (249906 bytes, sha256 65fa8a3f7438ff680e0943c74ab6deb0aacf88adf86169da42dd41c161995a66; 4 pages) - transcribed by eye from the rendered page images (200 dpi), every page read against its image; RapidOCR's reading of each page, a line-strip reading (each printed line read alone) 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 read on the page image (custody vision/check-log.md); captions set cell by cell, pleading line numbers omitted, running footers transcribed once, handwritten fills in place, with a closing bracketed note; a signature itself is not transcribed. Review note: The Administrative Orders page lists it as “18.12 AMENDED”; it calls itself an amended general order and an “amended administrative order”. It supersedes Local Rule 26.00 (carded in Chapter 26) where the two differ on copying court records with one's own equipment.
9 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-10.
6 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-13.