No Photography Allowed… Sometimes.
When scouting the layout for trial equipment needs, one of the things we try to do is take some snapshots of inside the courtroom. This makes it easy to assess the needs of the trial team when given the opportunity to review photos. Depending on the presiding judge's staff, this may or may not be possible.
In those cases when we are not allowed to take photographs, we sketch the layout of courtroom to scale as much as possible. There are times when we are not even allowed to bring in measuring tape and have to resort to the good ole heel-toe measurement.
So, why the are some courtroom staff strict at times?
In most areas, cameras are not allowed inside the courtroom, nor are they allowed to photograph the courtroom through windows or open doors while the court is in session. So drawings have been used to document proceedings.
When cameras were new, photographs took several minutes to expose. Photographing a court proceeding was disruptive to the point that cameras were banned in nearly all courtrooms.
Since then, concerns about the privacy of victims and the rights of the accused have caused cameras to continue to be banned from courtrooms, or allowed only in limited uses.
During the O. J. Simpson trial, for example, cameras were allowed, but they were not allowed to show members of the jury. When a juror was accidentally shown, that juror was excused from further service.
BTW, for those who missed it, O.J. Simpson was granted parole and could be released as early as October 1st.
