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Media in the Courtrooms

Reporters interviewing

Our courtrooms are open to the public and members of the media are welcome to attend any open hearings. But please note that media are required to follow Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Local Rule 37.0 when it comes to audio and visual recording and social media.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Application for media recording shall be made in writing to the assigned judge in the case prior to the commencement of the trial.
  • Media recording shall be understood to encompass broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographs. The term "trial" shall be understood to apply to any public hearing held by the Court.
  • Any equipment which is non-portable shall be set up and ready for operation prior to the commencement of Court sessions. In no event will persons be permitted to bring equipment into the courtroom during trial unless such equipment can be easily carried by a single person and without causing distraction or disturbance.
  • At no time are media allowed to photograph or record video images of jurors.

Additionally, the Court and its employees do not publicly comment on matters that are still before the court.


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Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding recording policies, please call:

Administration Office
216-443-8560

Ask for the Public Information Officer/Community Outreach Coordinator.

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Request Form

If you would like a copy of the Court's Media Recording Request Form, you can download it here.

Records Requests

When it comes to records requests, the Ohio Supreme Court’s Rules of Superintendence are the guidelines followed by the state’s Courts, not the Ohio Revised Code which governs the executive and legislative branches.

The guidelines for records requests are spelled out in Sup. R. 44-47.

  • Per Sup. R. 45, any data that we compile is considered public record, and we are happy to supply you with what we have.
  • Requests for data that we do not compile as a course of daily business fall under Sup. R. 46 “Court Records –Bulk Distribution”
  • 46-A(1): Any person, upon request, shall receive bulk distribution of information in court records, provided that the bulk distribution does not require creation of a new compilation.
  • 46-A(2-b): In determining whether to create a new compilation, a court or clerk of court  may consider if creating the new compilation is an appropriate use of its available resources and is consistent with the principles of public access.

What this means is that if we do not have a report already created that contains the information requested, the Court does not have an obligation to create it.

If the request can be generated with little burden on our Information Systems personnel, we will make every effort to provide it. But if the request would place a significant burden on the Information Systems staff, the request will be denied.