Local Criminal Rule 23.1 — Free Press- Fair Trial Directives
A published court requirement that applies in New York. Category: Local Rules. Effective January 1, 2026. Verified against the official source (N.D.N.Y. — Local Rules (U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York)) on November 3, 2026.
Summary
Local Criminal Rule 23.1 — Free Press- Fair Trial Directives: the court's own rule, verbatim from the Local Rules of Practice, United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, effective January 1, 2026 (official PDF, sha-custodied). Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York as its section states (Section XI, Criminal Procedure), alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
Requirement
(a) It is the duty of the lawyer or law firm, and of non-lawyer personnel employed by a lawyer’s office or subject to a lawyer’s supervision, private investigators acting under the supervision of a criminal defense lawyer, and government agents and police officers, not to release or authorize the release of non-public information or opinion which a reasonable person would expect to be disseminated by means of public communication, in connection with pending or imminent criminal litigation with which they are associated if there is a substantial likelihood that such dissemination will interfere with a fair trial or otherwise prejudice the due administration of justice. (b) With regard to a grand jury or other pending investigation of any criminal matter, a lawyer participating in or associated with the investigation (including government lawyers and lawyers for targets, subjects, and witnesses in the investigation) shall refrain from making any extrajudicial statement which a reasonable person would expect to be disseminated by means of public communication that goes beyond the public record or that is not necessary to inform the public that the investigation is underway, to describe the general scope of the investigation, to obtain assistance in the apprehension of a suspect, and to warn the public of any dangers or otherwise to aid in the investigation if there is a substantial likelihood that such dissemination will interfere with a fair trial or otherwise prejudice the administration of justice. (c) During a jury trial of any criminal matter, including the period of selection of the jury, no lawyer or law firm associated with the prosecution or defense shall give or authorize any extrajudicial statement or interview relating to the trial or the parties or issues in the trial which a reasonable person would expect to be disseminated by means of public communication if there is a substantial likelihood that such dissemination will interfere with a fair trial; except that the lawyer or the law firm may quote from, or refer without comment to, public records of the Court in the case. (d) Statements concerning the following subject matters presumptively involve a substantial likelihood that their public dissemination will interfere with a fair trial or otherwise prejudice the due administration of justice within the meaning of this Rule: 1. The prior criminal record (including arrests, indictments or other charges of crime), or the character or reputation of the accused, except that the lawyer or law firm may make a factual statement of the accused’s name, age, residence, occupation and family status; and if the accused has not been apprehended, a lawyer associated with the prosecution may release any information necessary to aid in the accused’s apprehension or to warn the public of any dangers the accused may present; 2. The existence or contents of any confession, admission or statement that the accused has given, or the refusal or failure of the accused to make any statement; 3. The performance of any examinations or tests or the accused’s refusal or failure to submit to an examination or test; 4. The identity, testimony or credibility of prospective witnesses, except that the lawyer or law firm may announce the identity of the victim if the announcement is not otherwise prohibited by law; 5. The possibility of a plea of guilty to the offense charged or a lesser offense; 6. Information the lawyer or law firm knows is likely to be inadmissible at trial and would, if disclosed, create a substantial likelihood of prejudicing an impartial trial; and 7. Any opinion about the accused’s guilt or innocence or about the merits of the case or the evidence in the case. (e) Statements concerning the following subject matters presumptively do not involve a substantial likelihood that their public dissemination will interfere with a fair trial or otherwise prejudice the due administration of justice within the meaning of this Rule: 1. An announcement, at the time of arrest, of the facts and circumstances of arrest (including time and place of arrest, resistance, pursuit and use of weapons), the identity of the investigating and arresting officer or agency and the length of the investigation; 2. An announcement, at the time of seizure, stating whether any items of physical evidence were seized and, if so, a description of the items seized (but not including any confession, admission or statement); 3. The nature, substance or text of the charge, including a brief description of the offense charges; 4. Quoting, or referring without comment to, public records of the Court in the case; 5. An announcement of the scheduling or result of any stage in the judicial process, or an announcement that a matter is no longer under investigation; 6. A request for assistance in obtaining evidence and the disclosure of information necessary to further such a request for assistance; and 7. An announcement, without further comment, that the accused denies the charges, and a brief description of the nature of the defense (f) Nothing in this Rule is intended to preclude the formulation or application of more restrictive rules relating to the release of information about juvenile or other offenders, to preclude the holding of hearings or the lawful issuance of reports by legislative, administrative or investigative bodies, or to preclude any lawyer from replying to charges of misconduct that are publicly made against said lawyer. (g) The Court, on motion of either party or on its own motion, may issue a special order governing such matters as extrajudicial statements by parties and witnesses likely to interfere with the rights of the accused to a fair trial by an impartial jury, the seating and conduct in the courtroom of spectators and news media representatives, the management and sequestration of jurors and witnesses and any other matters which the Court may deem appropriate for inclusion in such order. In determining whether to impose such a special order, the Court shall consider whether such an order will be necessary to ensure an impartial jury and must find that other, less extreme available remedies, singly or collectively, are not feasible or would not effectively mitigate the pretrial publicity and bring about a fair trial. Among the alternative remedies the Court must consider are as follows: change of venue, postponing the trial, a searching voir dire, emphatic jury instructions, and sequestration of jurors. (h) The Court may take disciplinary action against any attorney who violates the terms of this Rule. 24.1 THROUGH 29.1 [Reserved]
Source of truth
(a) It is the duty of the lawyer or law firm, and of non-lawyer personnel employed by a lawyer’s office or subject to a lawyer’s supervision, private investigators acting under the supervision of a criminal defense lawyer, and government agents and police officers, not to release
- Source health
- Healthy · checked November 14, 2026
- Effective date
- January 1, 2026
- Last verified
- November 3, 2026benchpath-nyfed-rules-2026-11-03
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