5th Cir. R. 34.7 — Recording of Oral Arguments: the court's own rule, verbatim from RULES and INTERNAL OPERATING PROCEDURES OF THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT (December 2025), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies to appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit alongside the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.
No cameras, tape recorders, or other equipment designed for the recording or transmission of visual images or sound may be used during oral argument without prior court approval. With the advance approval of the presiding judge, counsel may arrange, at their own expense, for a qualified court reporter to record and transcribe oral argument. If it is the court reporter’s usual practice, the reporter may make and use a sound recording for the sole purpose of preparing an accurate transcript. The reporter may not make any recordings of the oral argument available to counsel, a party, or any other person until the court posts its recording of the oral argument on the court’s Internet website.
No cameras, tape recorders, or other equipment designed for the recording or transmission of visual images or sound may be used during oral argument without prior court approval. With the advance approval of the presiding judge, counsel may arrange, at their own expense, for a qu