Introduction
The clerk’s office of the United States District Court, Central District of California has prepared this brochure to foster cooperation between the Court and the media in dealing with the high level of public interest and resulting media influx generated by high profile trials and Court hearings. To achieve that goal, every reasonable effort to accommodate the media’s needs and to provide it with the essential information required to do its job is being made. It is the clerk’s office intention to treat all members of the media equally and fairly and to assure all media representatives the same degree of access. Media representatives should understand, however, that the judge is fully responsible for the trial and the courtroom and expects the media to operate on his or her terms. Specific information and procedures concerning a trial may be implemented by a judge for a particular case.
Please check the Court’s homepage (Proceedings of Interest) for further information regarding a specific case.
Courthouse Locations
The Central District Court of California is comprised of three divisions: Western, Southern, and Eastern.
Western Division:
U.S. Courthouse
312 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
(media workroom located in room 444)
and
Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse
255 E. Temple Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
Southern Division:
Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
411 West 4th Street
Santa Ana, California 92701-4516
(media workroom located in room 1-115)
Eastern Division:
U.S. Courthouse
3470 Twelfth Street
Riverside, California 92501
For directions to the Courthouses, locations of public parking lots, and other general information about California Central District, visit the Court’s website at www.cacd.uscourts.gov.
Local Rules
The media should familiarize itself with Local Civil Rule 83-6 pertaining to conduct in the courtroom and environs, and the prohibition of broadcasting, television and photographing. All of the Court’s Local Rules are available on the Court’s website.
Clerk’s Office
The Office for the District Court Executive and Clerk of Court is located on the Main Street level, room G-8, in the Spring Street Courthouse, Los Angeles. Regular business hours are between 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday, excluding holidays. The telephone numbers are 213-894-1565 and 213-894-3535.
Media Communications with the Court
The Court has designated the District Court Executive to serve as Press Liaison for disseminating information on scheduling, seating, Court procedures, and logistics in a particular case. Since dependable, consistent, and reliable daily information about the case is desired, it is recommended that the media, as a whole, designate one individual to represent it in any communications with the District Court Executive. The District Court Executive and the media representative must be able to work together with the object of providing maximum media access to Court proceedings while ensuring fairness and due process for the parties involved in the case. Should there be a need to contact the Court on any issues pertaining to or affecting the media as a whole, please contact the District Court Executive. No one should telephone a judge’s chambers or the courtroom deputy clerk but is to address all questions to the District Court Executive. Please be advised that the District Court Executive may designate a specific Court manager to facilitate questions and to provide press and entry passes.
Case File and Docket Information
The case docket for any case in this district is available on-line from the court’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system. This system is designed to allow attorneys to submit case documents over the internet as well as to receive notice and documents regarding all case activity by the Court or other attorneys in the case.
The media and public also have access to the system through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), the judiciary’s centralized, technical support center. The PACER system offers an inexpensive, fast, and comprehensive case information service to any individual with a personal computer and internet access. The PACER system permits you to request information about a particular individual or case. The data is displayed directly on your personal computer screen within a few seconds. The system is simple enough that little user training or documentation is required.
Electronic access is available by registering with the PACER Service Center. PACER is a service of the United States Judiciary. Registering with PACER is free, however, please consult the PACER Service Center for their usage fee policy. To access documents on PACER, you must have your PACER login and password and the case number.
As an alternative to PACER, the original case file may be viewed in the Court’s Records Department. This file, other than documents filed under seal, may be viewed by members of the media and the public but cannot be removed from the Records Department. Please be aware that the original case file for viewing in the Records Department will not include documents that have been e-filed. For criminal cases, the original case file will not include documents filed before January 1, 2007, and for civil cases, the original case file will not include documents filed before January 1, 2008.
Court Records
As an alternative to PACER, all pending civil and criminal cases may be viewed, at no charge, at public terminals in the Records Department of any Division.
There is a charge for copies, certifications, and exemplifications. Case files and dockets may be obtained unless the requested material is unavailable. For high profile trials and hearings, specific clerk’s office staff may be assigned to handle media requests. The case number will identify the correct Court division in which the file is located and the district judge and magistrate judge before whom the matter is pending. To identify which Court division maintains the case file, refer to the prefix of the case number as follows:
Western Division (Los Angeles, prefix 02)
02:01-0000 (civil)
02:01-0000 (criminal)
Southern Division (Santa Ana, prefix 08)
08:01-0000 (civil)
08:01-0000 (criminal)
Eastern Division (Riverside, prefix 05)
05:01-0000 (civil)
05:01-0000 (criminal)
For example, 02:01-0001 ABC (DEx) means that a civil case was filed in Los Angeles in 2001, case number 01-0001, the judge assigned to the case has the initials ABC, and the magistrate judge assigned to the case has the initials DE.
Information for a Specific Case, Trial or Hearing
Information regarding a specific case, trial or hearing can be obtained from PACER. Additional information about a specific case may be listed on the Proceedings of Interest section on the Court’s homepage. If a specific case is not listed on the Proceedings of Interest section, then no information has been provided by the judge.
Press Pass
All proceedings are open to members of the public and media. Members of all media may apply for a press pass from the District Court Executive. Press credentials must be presented when applying for a press pass and the applicant must appear in person. Upon receipt of a background investigation that discloses no criminal record (conducted by the United States Marshal’s Office), a photograph of the applicant will be taken by the clerk’s office and attached to a press identification pass. The applicant must appear in person to obtain his or her press pass. The press pass will allow its wearer to sit in an area in the courtroom (if so designated) set aside for the media. The press pass also entitles the wearer to take advantage of the media workroom on the fourth floor (room 444) of the U.S. Courthouse in Los Angeles and on the first floor (room 1-115) of the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Santa Ana. News organizations which do not wish to follow the press pass procedures adopted by this Court may seek access to a specific trial through the procedures established for the general public. Press Pass Applications can be obtained from the District Court Executive’s office. Please obtain your press pass well in advance of the date of the proceeding as it takes time to process and approve the application.
Media Workrooms
The clerk’s office has designated room 444, located on the fourth floor in the U.S. Courthouse, Los Angeles, and room 1-115, located on the first floor in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Santa Ana, as media workrooms. The telephone number for the Los Angeles Courthouse media room is 213-625-1904. Only members of the media with a press pass will be allowed to utilize the rooms. The media is responsible for the cost of telephone, FAX, and photocopy equipment installation and use.
Food and Drink
There is a cafeteria located on the 4th floor of the Spring Street Courthouse, on the 1st floor of the Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse, and on the 3rd floor of the Santa Ana Courthouse. Vending machines are available at the Riverside Courthouse.
Courthouse Entry and Exit
During high profile trials and Court hearings, the U.S. Marshal’s Office may establish an entry and exit procedure from the doors of the Courthouse to the public sidewalk so that everyone entering and leaving the Courthouse is able to do so safely.
Interviewing Witnesses
Interviewing witnesses after a Court hearing or trial is prohibited in the areas specified in Local Civil Rule 83-6.
Building Security
All parties entering the Courthouse must show a government issued picture identification and must pass through a security screening device. Acceptable identifications include official identification issued by any U.S. state or by the U.S. government. The only acceptable international identification is a government issued passport with a current U.S. visa. Any person entering the Courthouse without proper identification that has court business will be escorted to the courtroom or office to ensure they have court business.
All Courthouse visitors must pass through and clear a metal detector. Pagers must be set on the silent vibrate mode upon entering the Courthouse. Cameras, electronic recording devices, audio recorders, knives (including pocket knives), and weapons (including mace) are not allowed in the building. There are no provisions for Court Security Officers to hold such items while the owners are in the Courthouse. Cellular phones and all notification sounds and tones must be turned off/rendered inoperative while in the courtroom. Should any aforementioned device disrupt Court proceedings, the offending person will be removed from the courtroom.
Equipment
In accordance with Local Civil Rule 83-6, between 7:00 o’clock a.m. and 7:00 o’clock p.m., Monday through Friday, and at all other times when the Court is in session, the use of any forms, means or manner of radio or television broadcasting and the taking or making of photographs, motion pictures, video or sound recordings is prohibited in the Courthouse, Courthouse garage and parking area. Cameras and other audio and/or video equipment are not permitted in the Courthouse except for special Court hearings with Court approval or for press release meetings by other agencies in the federal Courthouse. (As an exception, short circuit broadcasting to an adjoining courtroom to accommodate additional observers is permitted.) In the Courthouse, wireless internet access is not available and there is no cabling permitted. Unless otherwise authorized, by the judge, cameras, cell phones, blackberries or any electronic recording, transmitting, capturing or communicating devices may not be used in the courtroom and must be turned off/rendered inoperative while in the courtroom.
Trial Date and Time
Each judge’s calendar may vary; however, trials are generally held Tuesdays through Fridays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. with a 15 minute break during each session. When Monday is a federal holiday, trials may be held from Tuesday through Thursday or from Wednesday through Friday of that week. For further information, consult the individual “Judge’s Procedures and Schedules” or the master calendar.
Courtroom Decorum
The Court does not have a formal dress code; however, business attire is strongly suggested. At no time is food or drink allowed in the courtroom. All cell phones must be turned off when in the courtroom. Although most judges allow the use of lap top computers in the courtroom during trial, the courtroom deputy must be consulted as to whether such equipment is permitted.
Please consult the Proceedings of Interest section on the Court’s homepage for specific information on the use of computers and other electronic devices for a particular case.
Sketch Artists
Courtroom artists and others must notify the courtroom deputy clerk before sketching is permitted in the courtroom. Sketch artists are prohibited from drawing detailed sketches of witnesses and jurors; however, silhouettes with no distinguishing features may be done.
Transcripts
Civil and criminal transcripts may be purchased through the individual court reporter assigned to the case.
A copy of an audio tape or transcript from an electronically recorded court proceeding before a U.S. Magistrate Judge may be made through the Court Recording Section of the Records Department of the Clerk’s Office. To identify the court reporter who covered the hearing or trial, consult the appropriate docket entry on the docket sheet or review the minute order that is located in the file.
Orders
When the judge issues an injunction order or other type of non-sealed order and the media is requesting an immediate copy, the District Executive or the designated liaison will make the necessary arrangements for the media to obtain a copy through CM/ECF Media Access.
Every effort will be made to ensure that the order is provided in a timely manner in accordance with the judge’s instructions. The media is not to contact the judge’s chambers or the courtroom deputy clerk to obtain a copy of the order.
Special E-mail Notification Services
Members of the media can sign-up for automatic e-mail notification of electronic filings made in specific civil and criminal cases. Each notification of electronic filing (NEF) includes a hyperlink to the non-sealed, electronically filed document. Registered media members will be able to add/remove specific civil and criminal non-sealed cases to their account at any time. Media members must select between daily summary NEF e-mails that are sent at midnight or individual NEF e-mails that are sent when the document is filed.
To register for this service, a completed CM/ECF Media Access Application must be submitted to MediaAccess@cacd.uscourtsgov. A District Court press pass number or other press credential must be provided with the application. Applications received without a press pass number or other proof of press credential will not be processed. Registered media members are responsible for updating their individual e-mail address when it changes. If an NEF is returned undeliverable, the e-mail address will be removed from the account.
For questions concerning this service, call 213-894-0888 or e-mail MediaAccess@cacd.uscourts.gov. |