(a) The broadcasting, televising, recording or photographing by the media of court proceedings and trials in the Superior Court should be allowed subject to the limitations set out in this section and in Sections 1-11A through 1-11C, inclusive.
Section 1-10B.Media Coverage of Court Proceedings; In General
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceSets the general ground rules for when media may broadcast, record, or photograph Connecticut Superior Court proceedings, listing proceedings where coverage is always barred and conduct that's off-limits even when coverage is otherwise allowed.
Full Text of Section 1-10B
(b) No broadcasting, televising, recording or photographing of any of the following proceedings shall be permitted:
(1) Family relations matters as defined in General Statutes § 46b-1;
(2) Juvenile matters as defined in General Statutes § 46b-121;
(3) Except as provided in subsection (q) of Section 1-11C, proceedings involving sexual assault;
(4) Proceedings involving trade secrets;
(5) In jury trials, all proceedings held in the absence of the jury unless the trial court determines that such coverage does not create a risk to any party’s rights or other fair trial risks under the circumstances;
(6) Proceedings which must be closed to the public to comply with the provisions of state law;
(7) Any proceeding that is not held in open court on the record.
(c) No broadcasting, televising, recording or photographic equipment permitted under these rules shall be operated during a recess in the trial.
(d) No broadcasting, televising, recording or photographing of conferences involving counsel and the trial judge at the bench or involving counsel and their clients shall be permitted.
(e) There shall be no broadcasting, televising, recording or photographing of the process of jury selection nor of any juror.
Amendment History
(Adopted June 29, 2007, to take effect Jan. 1, 2008; amended June 20, 2011, to take effect Jan. 1, 2012; amended June 26, 2020, to take effect Jan. 1, 2021.)
Rules Committee Commentary
Plain-English Summary
This section is the umbrella rule for media coverage of Connecticut court proceedings, working alongside the more specific rules in Sections 1-11A (arraignments), 1-11B (civil proceedings), and 1-11C (criminal proceedings). It starts from the premise that broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing court proceedings and trials should generally be allowed, subject to the limits it and the companion sections set out.
The section then lists categories of proceedings where no electronic coverage is permitted at all: family relations matters, juvenile matters, proceedings involving sexual assault (except for the narrow homicide exception addressed in Section 1-11C), proceedings involving trade secrets, jury-absent proceedings in jury trials (unless the court finds coverage poses no risk to a party's rights or other fair-trial concerns), proceedings that must be closed to the public under state law, and any proceeding not held in open court on the record.
Even where coverage of a proceeding is otherwise permitted, the rule draws several hard lines. Equipment can't be operated during a recess in the trial. Bench conferences between counsel and the judge, and conferences between counsel and their clients, are off-limits. And there's no coverage of jury selection or of any individual juror, at any point.
The 2014 commentary clarifies that a closed-circuit video feed the Judicial Branch provides within a court facility for media or other spectators isn't considered media broadcasting under this rule. The 2021 amendment created a narrow path for coverage of a homicide case involving sexual assault when the victim's family affirmatively consents and no family member objects; if the family objects or can't be identified or located, coverage should not be allowed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the media record any Connecticut Superior Court proceeding?
Not automatically. Coverage is generally allowed but is barred entirely for family relations matters, juvenile matters, most sexual assault proceedings, trade secret proceedings, certain jury-absent proceedings, proceedings closed by law, and anything not held in open court on the record.
Can cameras record jury selection in Connecticut?
No. The rule prohibits broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing the jury selection process or any individual juror.
Can media film a bench conference between the judge and attorneys?
No. Conferences involving counsel and the trial judge at the bench, and conferences between counsel and their clients, cannot be broadcast, televised, recorded, or photographed.
Can equipment keep running during a trial recess?
No. The rule prohibits operating any broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographic equipment during a recess in the trial.
Can the media cover a sexual assault homicide trial in Connecticut?
Only in narrow circumstances described in Section 1-11C: the victim’s family must affirmatively consent, no family member may object, and the family must have been notified.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 1-10B). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: cameras in Connecticut courtroom rulesmedia coverage court proceedings CTcan press record CT trialbench conference recording banjury selection recording prohibited
COMMENTARY—2014: The Judicial Branch may provide, at its discretion, within a court facility, a contemporaneous closed-circuit video transmission of any court proceeding for the benefit of media or other spectators, and such a transmission shall not be considered broadcasting or televising by the media under this rule.
COMMENTARY—2021: The changes to this section and to Section 1-11C permit the judicial authority to allow media coverage of a homicide case involving sexual assault, provided that the victim’s family affirmatively consents to such coverage. If any member of the victim’s family objects to such coverage or if the victim’s family cannot be identified or located, the judicial authority should not allow such coverage.