Cell phone rules in courtrooms explained through an archive item

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Last reviewed: May 2026. Legal rules, forms, deadlines, and procedures can change by jurisdiction, agency, and court system.

Why the 2010 ABA Now headline still matters

An August 2010 ABA Now headline about lawyers leaving smart phones at the courtroom door highlighted a persistent courtroom-administration issue: electronic devices can interfere with decorum and with rules designed to protect fair proceedings, especially for jurors.

This archive recovery treats the 2010 headline as a historical prompt and uses verified, current legal materials—federal court electronic-device policies and a Florida juror-instruction appendix—to explain what device restrictions look like in real courtrooms.

For context on how ABA-related archive coverage fits into court-focused legal education, see ABA annual meeting coverage involving the courts.

Courtroom device rules are not one single national rule

Courts publish electronic-device restrictions through venue-specific policies and instructions, so approaches can vary by federal circuit, federal district, and state court practice.

The federal examples below come from separate official policies, while Florida’s example comes from jury-instruction materials that address juror device conduct during trial and deliberations.

Federal court policies for electronic devices and cell phones

D.C. Circuit courts airplane mode and recording limits

The Electronic Device Policy of the U.S. Courts of the D.C. Circuit uses a clear structure describing what visitors must do with cellular/Wi‑Fi devices before entering, and what uses are prohibited inside courtrooms.

The policy requires electronic devices with cellular or Wi‑Fi capability to be turned off or put into airplane mode before entering a courtroom.

The policy also prohibits courtroom use of electronic devices to take photographs, make audio or video recordings, or transmit live audio or video streaming, with exceptions framed around express prior approval of the presiding judge.

The policy further states that any person violating it may face contempt sanctions and/or be barred from entering the courthouse and annex with electronic devices in the future.

District of Massachusetts general public restrictions and distance rules

The United States Courts District of Massachusetts Policy Regarding Electronic Devices (dated June 1, 2014) takes a stricter entry approach for the general public than many other federal policies.

It states that the general public is prohibited from bringing cellular telephones into any United States Courthouse in the District of Massachusetts, and it describes security-screening requirements tied to access to the building.

Within courtrooms, the policy requires cellular telephones and PDAs to be turned off or placed in silent mode.

For public areas, the policy limits cellular-telephone use by requiring it to occur no less than twenty feet from the entrance to any courtroom.

In addition, the District of Massachusetts’s related courtroom guidance page explains that Local Rule 9037-1(b addresses recording or broadcasting court proceedings and emphasizes non-disruptive use, including silencing all devices.

Eastern District of Virginia Yondr pouches and event specific limits

The EDVA Personal Electronic Devices Policy changes effective 1/6/2025 describes an entry-policy shift effective January 6, 2025 for visitors bringing cell phones and smart watches.

Under that policy, cellular phones and smart watches may be brought into EDVA courthouses without prior authorization of the Court, but visitors bringing those devices are required to place them into a Yondr Pouch upon entering.

The announcement describes the pouch as using signal-blocking technology so that the pouched phone and smartwatch will not receive calls and texts while inside.

The announcement also describes operational control at departure: the pouch is unlocked when visitors exit the courthouse by a Court Security Officer.

For some proceedings, the announcement adds an additional restriction category by stating that cellular telephones and smart watches will be prohibited for large events such as naturalization ceremonies and investiture ceremonies.

The announcement also draws a line between cell phones/smart watches and other electronics by stating that all personal electronic devices other than cell phones and smart watches are prohibited without prior authorization from a judge.

State court juror instructions Florida’s approach

Florida’s Florida Standard Jury Instructions Appendix E (electronic devices) shows how state jury instructions can turn device rules into specific juror duties tied to trial fairness.

Appendix E includes alternative jury-instruction language addressing whether the trial judge may require jurors to turn off a cell phone completely or may require jurors not to have their cell phone in the courtroom.

The appendix defines “turned off” for juror phones as actually off and not in silent or vibrating mode.

It also instructs jurors that they cannot use devices to take photographs, video recordings, or audio recordings of proceedings or fellow jurors.

Appendix E further prohibits jurors from using devices to search the internet or to find out anything related to cases in the courthouse.

The appendix also addresses consequences tied to independent research: it states that a violation may result in a mistrial and that the judge may impose a penalty upon a juror who violates the instruction.

How decorum and professionalism fit in

Courts often connect device restrictions to tribunal decorum, and attorney-professional-conduct standards provide a related backdrop.

ABA Model Rule 3.5(d) addresses attorney conduct intended to disrupt a tribunal.

Device rules in courtrooms still come from venue-specific policies and instructions, like the federal electronic-device policies and Florida’s juror instruction appendix used as examples here.

Quick comparison of the example rules

Why the 2010 archive headline is a prompt for context, not a rule today

Archive items can be useful because they show how practical concerns around courtroom technology persisted long enough to generate formal, written venue rules.

But the operative legal authority for courtroom device restrictions is the official policy or instruction language published by the controlling court authority for that venue and participant category.

In the federal examples above, the sources reflect different effective dates and policy updates, so device rules can shift over time between courthouses even when the underlying concern stays the same.

On the state side, Florida’s Appendix E shows that “phone rules” can become juror-instruction duties with consequences tied to trial fairness, including mistrial language for prohibited independent research.

Closing context for readers of courtroom device disputes

Across federal visitor policies and Florida juror instructions, the cited authorities converge on one core theme: courts separate permitted device access from prohibited device uses inside a courtroom and enforce those boundaries through venue-specific policy mechanisms and, for jurors, through trial instruction consequences.

Sources

• Electronic Device Policy of the U.S. Courts of the D.C. Circuit
• Electronics in the Courtroom (District of Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court)
• United States Courts District of Massachusetts Policy Regarding Electronic Devices
• EDVA Personal Electronic Devices Policy changes effective 1/6/2025
• Florida Standard Jury Instructions Appendix E (electronic devices)
• ABA Model Rule 3.5(d) on tribunal disruption