Media coverage of court proceedings with cameras and audio recording devices is known as Extended Media Coverage (EMC). Effective January 5, 2015, EMC has been permitted in the courtrooms in the Leighton Criminal Court Building on a case by case basis.
The prohibition on the use of cameras and audio recording devices by the public in Illinois courtrooms otherwise remains in effect.
HOW MEDIA SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR EMC
The court requires a media organization to initiate a request for EMC through a media coordinator. A media coordinator is an individual who media organizations have agreed to designate to act on their collective behalf concerning EMC. There are two kinds of media coordinators: 1) an administrative media coordinator coordinates requests by media organizations and is the primary liaison between the media and the court for purposes of EMC; 2) an on-site media coordinator supervises EMC in the courtroom and is designated by the administrative coordinator or media organizations participating in the coverage of a specific proceeding.
The position of administrative media coordinator is vacant. EMC requests for a court proceeding may be submitted by a member of a media organization who has been approved by the Chief Judge to serve as a media coordinator. If appointed, the media coordinator will coordinate EMC of that proceeding on behalf of his or her own media organization as well as all other interested media organizations.
Click here for a media coordinator application. Applications should be sent to mary.wisniewski@cookcountyil.gov. See "Media" tab below for further details on the duties of a media coordinator.
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS
For an easy-to-follow guide on how the Extended Media Coverage Pilot Program will work in the Circuit Court of Cook County, select the "Power Point" tab below.
OBJECTIONS
Self-represented parties and witnesses are entitled to free assistance from the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court if they wish to object to Extended Media Coverage. For details, select the "Objections" tab below.
MEDIA REQUESTS
For information on how news media organizations request permission to use cameras and audio recording devices to cover a court proceeding, select the "Media" tab below.
RULES
Select the "Rules" tab below to view the Illinois Supreme Court Extended Media Policy and the Circuit Court of Cook County's General Administrative Order on Extended Media Coverage.
For orders entered by the judge assigned to a case that grant EMC of a proceeding and which may include additional restrictions and requirements imposed by that judge, select the "Case Information" tab below.
Media
Members of news media organizations must initiate requests, through a media coordinator selected by the media, for use of cameras and audio recording devices at a hearing or trial.
********************IMPORTANT NOTICE*********************
The position of administrative media coordinator is currently vacant, because the individuals who retired from that position have not been replaced. Pursuant to Cook Co. Cir. Ct. G.A.O. 2014-12(C)(7) (eff. Jan. 5, 2015), an administrative media coordinator is an individual(s) selected by news media organizations from among members of news media organizations and approved by the Chief Judge. Until an administrative media coordinator(s) is named, news media organizations will be permitted to initiate requests for Extended Media Coverage as outlined below.
TEMPORARY PROCEDURES TO FILE AN EMC REQUEST
(UNTIL A PRINCIPAL MEDIA COORDINATOR IS SELECTED)
I. Until an administrative media coordinator is selected, each news media organization interested in participating in Extended Media Coverage shall, as soon as possible, designate one or more of its employees to serve as a media coordinator and submit that person’s name in writing on company letterhead to the Chief Judge for approval.
II. Upon approval by the Chief Judge, the media coordinator shall, before filing a request for Extended Media Coverage:
· Determine whether any other media organizations are interested in participating in Extended Media Coverage of the court proceeding.
· Establish which members of the news media well serve as the onsite media coordinator(s) for the proceeding.
· Establish a news media pool to cover the proceeding.
· Identify the scope of cameras and audio recording devices to be submitted to the judge for consideration.
· Arrange for distribution of all video, photographs, and audio recordings obtained during the proceeding to the news media.
· Be responsible for communicating with the court media liaison team regarding EMC of the proceeding, if the request is granted.
III. After determining all of the above, the requesting media organization must:
· File an EMC request form on behalf of all interested news media with the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court at emc@cookcountycourt.com (NOTE: This address is only for filing requests and not for other communication with judges or court media liaisons.)
· Send a copy of the EMC request to the court’s media liaison team at Extended.Mediacoverage@cookcountyil.gov.
IV. The court’s media liaison team will facilitate the following:
· The circuit clerk will docket the request and forward a copy to the court’s media liaison team.
· The court's media liaison team will notify the following individuals in the case: the attorneys, the pro se litigants (persons choosing self-representation instead of attorney representation), the judge assigned to the case, the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division, and the Chief Judge.
· The court will schedule a hearing on the request.
· The office of the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division will notify the attorneys, pro se litigants, the media coordinator, and the court media liaison team of the date and time of the hearing.
· The judge assigned to the case will rule on the request.
V. Other
· Denial of an EMC request is final and not subject to appeal.
· Authority for the temporary procedure described above is derived from the Illinois Supreme Court’s “Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Circuit Court of Illinois,” §1.1(f) (eff. Mar.13, 2015).
· For a checklist to assist the news media in preparing and conducting EMC of a hearing or trial:
For EMC court forms with fillable form fields, click here.
To print pdf versions of EMC court forms, select "Court Forms" tab.
Objections
The Supreme Court's Policy and the Circuit Court's general administrative order give parties and witnesses the right to object to extended media coverage.
- All objections must be filed with the clerk of the circuit court.
- Objections by parties and witnesses must be filed with the clerk at least three (3) days before the commencement of the proceeding.
- Parties appearing without counsel and witnesses shall be entitled to the assistance of the circuit clerk in providing copies of their objections to extended media coverage to all counsel currently of record, parties appearing without counsel, the media coordinator, the judge and the court media liaison.
The above is general information only and is not comprehensive. Parties and witnesses who wish to object to extended media coverage are directed to read the Illinois Supreme Court, Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Circuit Courts of Illinois, (eff. Jan. 24, 2013) and Circuit Court of Cook County, General Administrative Order No. 2012-14, Extended Media Coverage (eff. Jan. 5, 2015).
Form for Objection of Party to Extended Media Coverage
Form for Objection of Witness to Extended Media Coverage of Testimony
Rules
Extended media coverage is permitted in the Criminal Division courtrooms in the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building in accordance with the provisions contained in the following orders and policy:
Illinois Supreme Court Order and Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Circuit Courts of Illinois (Amended: February 22, 2016)
Illinois Supreme Court, Order for Extended Media Coverage Pilot Project, Circuit Court of Cook County (eff. Dec. 16, 2014)
Circuit Court of Cook County, General Administrative Order No. 2014-12, Extended Media Coverage (eff. Jan. 5, 2015)
Order(s) entered by the judge assigned to a case that grant EMC of a proceeding and which may include additional restrictions and requirements imposed by that judge