The Lord Chief Justice of England & Wales, Lord Judge, has issued guidance about the use of live text-based communications in court. It covers mobile email and social media, including Twitter, when sent silently from mobile phones and internet-enabled laptops.
Lord Judge notes there’s no statutory prohibition on the use of live text-based communications in open court, despite many courts having a rule that mobile phones must be turned off. He says that members of the public who want to tweet or use other text-based communications in court should ask the judge for permission before they do so, although media representatives don’t need to make any such application to the court.
Existing laws that prohibit the taking of photographs in court and the use of sound recording equipment in court are not affected.
[Practice guidance document (pdf)]