Opinion
No. 01-CR-80778
February 21, 2003
In order to provide for the orderly disposition of this case,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED as follows:
CONTACT WITH JURORS AND PROSPECTIVE JURORS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED
The media and the public are reminded that any attempt by anyone not authorized by the Court to contact or communicate with jurors or prospective jurors or any attempt to photograph jurors while in transit is strictly prohibited and may be punished as a criminal contempt of court.
COURTROOM SECURITY
1. The United States Marshal and his Deputies shall be responsible for maintaining security and decorum in the courtroom. All orders given by the Marshal or his Deputies shall be deemed to be orders of the Court and must be complied with immediately. Failure by any person to so comply will be subject to sanction.
2. All persons entering the trial courtroom are required to provide government-issued photo identification (e.g., driver's license) and are subject to metal detector and wand screening. No electronic devices of any kind — including cell phones, palm pilots, laptop computers, pagers, etc. — will be permitted in the courtroom. In addition, as provided in Eastern District of Michigan Local Rule 83.31, cellular phones, tape recorders and cameras are not permitted in the courthouse.
3. The trial courtroom, Room 860, will be open a half-hour before each session. To minimize disruptions in the courtroom, which is expected to be crowded for all court sessions of trial, all media personnel and spectators should be seated ten minutes before each session, and absent emergencies, should remain seated throughout the proceedings until court recesses.
MEDIA CREDENTIALS AND COURTROOM SEATING
To expedite media access to the courtroom, reporters registered with the Court Administrator (Room 814) will receive court-issued media credentials and will have priority seating in the benches reserved for the press. During court sessions, the second row of the courtroom will be reserved for press only. In addition, part of the first row on the right side will be reserved for up to three sketch artists as well as security and defense counsels' staff. Networks must negotiate with their local affiliates for sketch artist spots. BY ORDER OF THE COURT, SKETCH ARTISTS SHALL NOT DRAW THE LIKENESS OF ANY JUROR OR ANY WITNESS IDENTIFIED BY THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY AS "PROTECTED."
Preference in the reserved press row will be given to news organizations with reporters assigned to the courthouse on a full-time basis. With the exception of reporters assigned to the courthouse on a full-time basis, media access to the courtroom is on a "first come" basis. If the reserved media row is filled and spectators have not filled the remaining rows by ten minutes before a court session is scheduled to start, reporters may sit in any row of the courtroom, except for the first row on the left reserved for the prosecution team and security. No member of the media or public will be admitted in the well within the bar of the courtroom at anytime.
The courtroom likely will be filled to capacity with prospective jurors during jury selection. If possible, the last row on the right side of the courtroom from the public access door will be reserved for reporters. Deputy U.S. Marshals will attempt to accommodate reporters with court-issued media credentials on a "first-come" basis during jury selection. Completion of jury selection and commencement of opening statements are not expected before March 19, 2003.
PRESS CONFERENCES AND INTERVIEWS
No media interviews will be permitted in the courtroom at any time or in any areas which prevent ingress to and egress from the courthouse. If approved by the Court, press conferences and interviews will be conducted in a place to be determined by the Court Administrator. Parking of the media's equipment trucks is the responsibility of media personnel. For security reasons, trucks or other vehicles will not be permitted on the perimeter of the courthouse.
PRESS ROOM
A daytime work area is available in Room 261 for use by the media. Public telephones are available on first floor of the Courthouse. Under no circumstances is the public telephone on the 8th floor to be used by members of the media.
CASE DOCUMENTS AND COURT ORDERS
All unsealed pleadings and Court orders entered in the public record of this case are available in the Clerk's Office on the 5th Floor for $.50 per page.
COMPLIANCE WITH THESE GUIDELINES IS MANDATORY
Any failure by any person to comply may result in exclusion from the courthouse and other sanctions as determined by the Court to be appropriate.
MEDIA CONTACT
Questions about these guidelines should be directed to the court's public information officer, David Weaver, at (313) 234-5051.