Hamilton County looking at cell phone ban in courtrooms

Alarmed at what they say are observers in their courtrooms regularly using cell phones to take pictures of witnesses, jurors and victims, Hamilton County's 16 Common Pleas Court judges, who preside over felony cases like rape, assault and murder, are considering banning cell phones when their courts are in session, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Sunday morning.

"There have been times when there were 30 people in the courtroom and maybe half of them have their cell phones out, taking photos and texting," said Judge Ethna Cooper. "Having been around long enough, it's easy to figure out what's going on." --and what's going on, she and other judges believe, is the proliferation of cell phone use to threaten and interfere with the criminal justice process.

Cincinnati and Hamilton County aren't the only ones addressing the potential problem. Indiana law bans cameras and outside recording equipment from most courtrooms, but they're allowed elsewhere, including in areas where witnesses sometimes wait to testify. The Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne was the first in Indiana to ban cell phones from the building, beginning in November 2006. Steuben County soon followed suit. Now, in an article last month in the Columbus Republic, it was reported that the Tippecanoe County sheriff's office was considering banning cell phones from the county courthouse too to prevent distractions and security risks.

Cell phones were banned from courtrooms at the U.S. District Court in Davenport, Iowa back in March. In April Chief Judge Bobbi M. Alpers of the Seventh Judicial District issued an administrative order there banning electronic and digital communications devices from the building. That order went into effect May 24 and applies to many courthouse visitors, but not employees.