A note from the court: The staff of Superior Court of Stanislaus County has been inundated by phone calls from various press and media agencies seeking information about high profile cases.

One of the primary purposes of this website is to provide the media with up-to-date and immediate information regarding high-profile court cases. The secondary purpose is to reduce the number of telephone inquiries to the superior court seeking information and/or documents. With the Sheriff's Department and the superior court acting in unison to provide public information, this website should be the media's primary & immediate source of information.

• Biography of Superior Court Judge Al Girolami

• Biography of Superior Court Judge Marie S. Silveira

• Court-required Procedure for Fax Filings to the Superior Court of Stanislaus County

HIGH-PROFILE CASE COURTROOM SEATING

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department is responsible for the safety and security of all visitors to the Superior Court of Stanislaus County. The department's goal is to ensure that court proceedings are orderly and open to the public. Designated Public Information Officers will work as an agent of the Superior Court judges and court administration to develop working policies and procedures for public access to high-profile court proceedings.

Specifically, we will work to:

• Insure that an appropriate atmosphere prevails in the courthouse so that all litigants may obtain a fair and orderly trial, and

• Insure that, the court to the best of its ability accommodates the media and the general public during proceedings determined to be of great public interest.

Because of the nature of high profile cases, not everyone who wishes to be present during court proceedings can be accommodated within the courtroom. There are a limited number of seats available for the families, press and the general public.

Generally speaking, family members of both the victim and defendant will be allowed a pre-determined number of seats along with the District Attorney's Victim Services Unit. Law enforcement officers/investigators directly involved in the case will also be assigned a seat as determined by the court and/or their agency head.

NEWS ORGANIZATION ACCESS & RULES

Only bona fide news organizations will be given consideration for a request for seating in the designated press seats. A maximum of one (1) representative from each news organization may be allowed a seat regardless of the number of individual requests made from the same entity.

A special Media Request for Courtroom SEATING form must be completed and faxed to the Superior Court during the pre-designated open registration time (the designated time and fax number will be announced via e-mail and/or the www.pressupdate.info website). This is only for seating - it does not apply to separate court-required requests for recording, photography or sketch artists within the courtroom.

Media requests for courtroom seating received before the date/time of open registration will be discarded and must be re-submitted during the announced date/time.

Local news organizations will be given priority seating. "Local" shall be defined as those news organizations with main offices or bureaus in the greater Stanislaus County & Sacramento news coverage area. Special consideration will be given to news entities that provide reporting to multiple news organizations or outlets.

All other requests for media seats will be on a first-come, first-served basis based on the date/time the request was received. This is a sequentially ordered process.

NUMBERING SYSTEM

Those news organizations that submit a request for courtroom seating will be prioritized based on the above factors and the date/time in which their form was received via fax.

Sequential numbered press credentials beginning at the number one (1) will be assigned to news agencies as seats are available. There are a total of seventy (70) seats in Departments 2 & 8 of the Superior Court in Stanislaus County.

In the case of the People of the State of California v. Scott Lee Peterson, a total of 21 seats are authorized by Judge Girolami to be available to members of the media. A total of 21 seats are designated for the general public waiting in line in front of the courthouse on the day of a hearing. The assigned judge has final say on all requests for media seating.

Members of the press, or their designated representative, who receive notification that they have been issued a numbered credential MUST be present in front of the Superior Court of Stanislaus County at 800 11th Street, Modesto, California 95354 at 7:45 am on the day of the scheduled hearing. If they do not appear at that time, they will forfeit their placement to the next on the sequential list.

SPECIAL MEDIA IDENTIFICATION

Special media identification shall be issued by the public information officer and/or court administrator. This will insure that all seats allocated to the media will be available. The sequentially-numbered identification badge is valid for one day only (unless otherwise authorized by the judge or court administrator). Access to the courtroom may be denied by the bailiffs if the media representative does not display the validated identification pass, or if the media representative displays an expired identification pass.

The press officer or court administration may issue daily press advisories to provide information concerning the following days proceedings only as directed by and approved by the presiding judge or the judge assigned to the case.

CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM

The assigned judge will determine if any cameras, recording or broadcasting devices will be allowed in the courtroom during the proceedings. A designated "pool" is the most likely form of photography/recording that will be granted, if any at all. The designated Public Information Officers will encourage the interested news organizations to pre-designate the individual(s) responsible for the "pool." The assigned judge will have the final say as to which, if any, will be allowed.

A "Media Request to Photograph, Record, or Broadcast" (Cal. Rules of Court 980(e)(1)) shall be completed by the designated pool photographers/recorders.

The media may request an order permitting media coverage using only the approved Judicial Council of California form MC-500, Media Request to Photograph, Record, or Broadcast, and form MC-510, Order on Media Request to Permit Coverage. Blank forms are available in the court clerk's office or via downloading here. The judge shall retain sole discretion for the approval or denial of any such request.

A completed, proposed order on the approved form shall be filed with the request. The Clerk's Office will immediately deliver the request to the assigned judge who will rule on the request. If no judge has been assigned, the request will be submitted to the judge supervising the calendar department, and thereafter be ruled upon by the judge assigned to the proceeding. The clerk shall promptly notify the parties that a request has been filed. Rule 980(e)(1).

Each media agency shall be responsible for ensuring that all its media personnel who cover the court proceeding know and follow the provisions of the court order and California Rule of Court, Rule 980(e)(4).

If the request is approved, the judge may specify the placement of media personnel and equipment to permit reasonable media coverage without disruption of the proceedings. Unless the judge in his or her discretion after consideration of the factors in CRC 980(e)(3) orders otherwise, the following rules shall apply: Rule 980(e)(7).

PHOTOGRAPHING JURORS

Photographing and filming any juror or summoned prospective juror is prohibited.

MEDIA COVERAGE IN OTHER AREAS OF COURTHOUSE

Unless approved by order of the assigned judge or the Court Administrator, filming, videotaping, photographing and electronic recording of any kind is not permitted in any other part of the courthouse, including but not limited to, entrances, exits, halls, stairways, escalators and elevators. Application for permission for media coverage in these areas of the courthouse shall be directed to the court administration.

Cameras and recording devices shall be turned off while being transported in any area of the court unless expressly permitted by court order. Filming, video taping and photographing of the interior of any courtroom through the glass door windows or through the double doors, or otherwise is prohibited. No microphones or cameras shall be permitted in any courtroom unless the judge hearing a matter within the courtroom has expressly authorized such use in a written order pursuant to California Rule of Court 980 and the local rules of this court.

Any violation of this rule or an order made under this rule is an unlawful interference with the proceedings of the court and may be the basis for an order terminating media coverage, a citation for contempt of court, or an order imposing monetary or other sanctions as provided by law. Rule 980(f).

PARKING

Private vehicles may be parked in public parking lots and garages or in metered spots available surrounding the courthouse. Parking in any restricted area and on sidewalks is strictly prohibited and shall result in vehicles being towed.

SATELLITE & MICROWAVE TRUCKS

Satellite and microwave trucks must be parked in approved locations. The public information officer(s) will provide information regarding proximity parking. The Modesto Police Department is responsible for the management of, and has law enforcement jurisdiction over, private vehicles parked on the streets in downtown Modesto. Please obey posted signs & limits.

CABLES & SIDEWALKS

All cables placed in corridors, sidewalks or streets shall be covered in such a manner not to impede the flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic. Do not set up interviews and live talk-backs right in front of the court entrance steps. Lighting gear, tripods and personnel often impede the normal flow of traffic in and out of the courthouse. It also creates a dangerous blockage in the event of an emergency evacuation of the courthouse.

PUBLIC ACCESS TO COURT PROCEEDINGS

There will be a designated number of seats available to the general public on a first-come, first serve basis. Special numbered passes will be provided to the public in front of the Stanislaus County Courthouse on the day of the proceeding. A pre-determined distribution time will be announced to the public prior to the proceeding.

A single-file line shall be established in front of the courthouse for the first-come, first-served order. This line shall not impede the flow of traffic on the sidewalks or streets surrounding the courthouse. Stanislaus County Sheriff's Deputies may move this line to another designated location at any time for public safety and security of the courthouse.

PRESS WEBSITE & INFORMATION

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department in conjunction with the Superior Court of Stanislaus County have designated a special website for members of the press to receive specific press-related information about high profile cases where requests create a severe impact on court resources.

Although the information on the website is public information, we ask that you please DO NOT PROMOTE OR PUBLISH this site for general public consumption. There is only a small amount of bandwidth available to serve the numerous press inquiries. If we receive too many website hits from non-media members, this site may become slow or unavailable during critical press times.

THANK YOU for working with us to ensure smooth court proceedings during high-profile cases!