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Supreme Court considers proposal to allow phones in courts

Posted at 8:00 PM, May 15, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-15 20:00:24-04

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court is accepting comment on a proposal to allow the public to carry phones and other devices into courthouses.

Many courts around the states only allow lawyers, court staff and the news media to bring electronic devices inside courthouses.

The proposed rule would allow people to use an electronic device to take notes, search the internet and send or receive text messages in a courtroom. The devices could also be used to copy documents in the clerk’s office.

No one could use a phone or other device to record court proceedings without a judge’s approval.

Comments can be sent by email until Sept. 1 to ADMcomments@courts.mi.gov.