Oh, no he was not. Pareene was making a joke. Read what Spackerman wrote.
But when "older people" saw my tweet -- and I don't remember learning that @OPSECJTFGTMO Is Now Following Me On Twitter! -- the Marine captain told me, they "didn't know what I was talking about." It was all good; no rule was broken; and I wasn't in trouble. She laughed it off. I nervously pretended to laugh and wondered to myself if I could sneak in a quick calm-down beer before having to write.
Aren't you forbidden from using any device that could tweet during a regular trial?
Yep (well, I am sure it totally depends state to state and court to court, actually). But Spackerman didn't tweet during the tribunal:
There is absolutely no communication with the outside world once you enter the courtroom here. The rules are so strict that I cannot describe what goes into ensuring that they are complied with without risking my presence here. So when yesterday morning I tweeted my intention to tweet the military commissions as I thought they were about to proceed -- Col. Parrish, the judge, actually cancelled the morning hearing so everyone could read the brand-new commission Manual on rules of evidence and procedure -- I did so from the comfort of the makeshift media operations center, where I prepared to watch the morning hearing on closed-circuit TV. I wasn't part of the morning pool.
3: The link in the post didn't make that clear. But, if I recall correctly, the local courts do a big-deal thing that stops everybody but lawyers from bringing a cell phone into the court room.
Anyway, put more down for greater transparency on the tribunals and no tweeting in court at all.
4: Oh, right -- I was thinking of lawyers, who as I understand it sometimes can't bring their phones in either.
6: Yes, sometimes they aren't. But, at least in the local criminal courts, the lawyers are the only ones allowed to take a phone past security. I think it is partially because they sometimes spend a great deal of time past security, but not in the actual courtroom, and because it much easier for a judge to smack-down a lawyer who does something inappropriate than some random guy.
5 s/b "put me down" not "put more down".
I found it confusing to reconcile the link in 1 with the Salon post, but I was late for work so I just threw it up there.
It sounds like they did the smiley good ol' boy bullying against him tweeting from the press room, which should have been perfectly fine.
9: No -- they thought he was claiming he would tweet from the courtroom. He said, of course not. And then says: "If I tweet something about to the hearings while they proceed, it means I am watching them from the press center on closed-circuit television. " So he will be tweeting from the press room.
I wonder how it's supposed to be more secure to communicate from the press room - maybe the CCTV has a time delay to satisfy the security mavens.
In several major urban federal courts (e.g. Southern District of New York, District of Massachusetts), cell phones and personal computers must be checked at security downstairs. Tehy catch you with metal detectors. You can get special permission for a computer if you need it for a Powerpoint or something, but communicating with the outside world is absolutely forbidden. Since the newer buildings have no pay phones, you are inconveniently cut off from the planet when you have a full day hearing.
Actually, the SDNY is starting to let lawyers bring phones in. I don't have my ID card yet -- you need to go down to the courthouse on a Tuesday or Thursday with your state court ID (the one that lets you bypass the state court metal detectors), but soon I'll be able to comment from 500 Pearl St.
I'm not sure I have any issues with cutting off courts from the outside world while they're in session. It doesn't seem to have any actual downside, while it does tend to prevent attempts at collusion or intimidation, however unlikely.
you are inconveniently cut off from the planet when you have a full day hearing.
Rules in court. Planet cut-off from lawyer.
14: but soon I'll be able to comment from 500 Pearl St. Downtown!
14: Progress! About two years ago, they wouldn't even let me check my PC without an extensive discussion among several different security officials, embarrassing me in my client's presence, as I explained thast my office is 100 miles away, my argument is in 10 minutes, and I don't want to leave my computer on the street outside the building so please please please accomodate me just this once.
More recently they developed a standard procedure for checking computers.
this mostly just seems like more old judges saying 'get off my lawn' to this whole 'wireless phone' thing
don't briefs still format with brackets instead of lines, because thats how you do it on a typewriter
19: I'm sure that's part of it, but there are legitimate reasons aside from maintaining decorum for not wanting people to have cameras in courtrooms at certain times (e.g. rape victim shield laws, juvie court) and nearly all phones have a camera.
"What Does TWTF Stand For?
Tank Waste Task Force"
I was told long ago that judges are concerned about a watcher inside the courtroom reporting on the moment when the judge is leaving the building to a waiting sniper or kidnapper. In fact, there have been several federal judge assassination over the past few decades, and a recent attempt in Chicago where the judge's husband was killed,so the concern has a basis. Judges deal with lots of cirminals and crazies.
There's cell-phone coverage in Guantánamo? Huh.