Expanded news media coverage of judicial proceedings will be permitted under the following conditions:
(1)Prior authorization. No expanded news media coverage shall occur without prior express authorization from the judicial officer, who may prescribe conditions of coverage as provided in this chapter.(2)Rights to a fair trial. Expanded news media coverage of a proceeding is permitted, unless the judicial officer concludes, for reasons stated on the record, that under the circumstances of the particular proceeding, such coverage would materially interfere with the rights of the parties to a fair trial.(3)Coverage of witnesses.a. Expanded news media coverage of a witness may be refused by the judicial officer upon objection and showing of good cause by the witness.b. In prosecutions for sexual abuse, or for charges in which sexual abuse is an included offense or an essential element of the charge, no expanded news media coverage of the testimony of a victim witness is permitted unless such victim witness consents.c. Objection by a victim or witness in any other forcible felony prosecution, and by police informants, undercover agents, and relocated witnesses, shall enjoy a rebuttable presumption of validity. The presumption is rebutted by a showing that expanded news media coverage will not have a substantial effect upon the particular individual objecting to such coverage that would be qualitatively different from the effect on members of the public in general.(4)Initial appearances in criminal proceedings.a. Oral or written requests for expanded news media coverage of initial appearances in criminal proceedings must be made to the judicial officer presiding over the proceeding. Such expanded news media coverage, if authorized by the judicial officer, is subject to objection by the prosecutor, defendant, or defendant's attorney.b. The defendant shall be advised by the judicial officer of the defendant's right to orally object to expanded news media coverage prior to the commencement of the proceeding, and any such objection will be heard and determined by the judicial officer prior to the commencement of the proceeding. The judicial officer may rule on the basis of the oral objection alone.c. A judicial officer's authorization of expanded news media coverage of an initial appearance applies only to the particular initial appearance. Authorization for expanded news media coverage of proceedings subsequent to the initial appearance must be requested separately under rule 25.3(2)(b).(5)Private court proceedings. Expanded news media coverage is prohibited for any court proceeding which, under Iowa law, is required to be held in private. Coverage is prohibited in any juvenile, dissolution, adoption, child custody, or trade secret cases unless consent on the record is obtained from all parties, including a parent or guardian of a minor child.(6)Jury selection. Expanded news media coverage of jury selection is prohibited. Expanded news media coverage of the return of the jury's verdict shall be permitted. In all other circumstances, however, expanded news media coverage of jurors is prohibited except to the extent it is unavoidable in the coverage of other trial participants or courtroom proceedings. The policy of the rules in this chapter is to prevent unnecessary or prolonged photographic or video coverage of individual jurors.(7)Court conferences. There shall be no audio pickup or broadcast of conferences in a court proceeding between attorneys and their clients, between co-attorneys, between attorneys and the judicial officer held at the bench or in chambers, or between judicial officers in an appellate proceeding.(8)Equipment. The quantity and types of equipment permitted in the courtroom are subject to the discretion of the judicial officer within the guidelines set out in this chapter.(9)Variance application. Notwithstanding the provisions of any of the procedural or technical rules in this chapter, the judicial officer, upon application of the news media coordinator, may permit the use of equipment or techniques at variance with the rules, provided the application for variance is included in the advance notice of coverage provided for in rule 25.3(2). Objections, if any, shall be made as provided in rule 25.3(3). Ruling upon such a variance application is in the sole discretion of the judicial officer, who may allow such variances without advance application or notice if all attorneys and parties consent to the variance.(10)Limiting coverage during proceeding. The judicial officer may, as to any or all news media participants, limit or terminate expanded news media coverage at any time during the proceedings in the event the judicial officer finds that rules established under this chapter, or additional rules imposed by the judicial officer, have been violated or that substantial rights of individual participants or rights to a fair trial will be prejudiced by such manner of expanded news media coverage if it is allowed to continue.(11)Limited to news media. The privileges of expanded news media coverage provided for in these rules may be exercised only by persons or organizations that are part of the news media.(12)Identification. All news media personnel authorized to conduct expanded news media coverage during judicial proceedings must clearly identify the person's name and media affiliation at all times during the proceeding, and physical identification must be worn for all in-person proceedings.(13)Ceremonial proceedings. A judicial officer may authorize expanded news media coverage of investitive or ceremonial proceedings at variance with the procedural and technical rules of this chapter as the judicial officer sees fit.(14)Broadcasting or livestreaming by judicial officers. Judicial officers may broadcast or livestream a judicial proceeding to alternative locations outside the courtroom to accommodate overflow crowds or for other purposes at the presiding judge's discretion. Unless otherwise provided, the rules in this chapter apply equally to any judicial proceeding being broadcast or livestreamed pursuant to this rule.R. Exapand. New. Media Cov. 25.2
Amended by Court Order September 26, 1984, effective 10/10/1984; 11/9/2001, effective 2/15/2002; 4/2/2014, effective 5/1/2014; court order January 14, 2022, effective 1/14/2022.