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The South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission this week banned all wireless communication devices, including cellphones, laptop computers, cameras and even smart watches, from the Commission’s courtroom.

The bulletin, issued Jan. 12, said the order does not apply to staff, lawyers, court reporters, law enforcement, and interpreters. The presiding commissioner in the courtroom may allow the electronic devices during proceedings as long as no recordings or photographs are made and the devices are set to silent mode.

If security officers in the courtroom find unauthorized electronic devices in court or adjacent areas, the persons will be advised to return the devices to their homes or vehicles, or to place the item in a “Faraday pouch”— a metal-lined bag that blocks wireless signals, notes.

“We appreciate your cooperation as we implement this enhanced security measure to safeguard the privacy and integrity of our hearings,” reads a memo from the Commission’s executive director, Kristen McRee.

The bulletin did not explain what may have prompted the order but McRee told ¾ÅÉ« that the commissioners have seen a few recent incidents in which people were improperly recording proceedings. The concern is that those recordings are not official, as a court reporter’s recordings are, and could be manipulated and distributed.

In some states, the use of cellphones has caused disruption in courtrooms and remote proceedings, and a few lawyers have been accused of coaching witnesses through text messages. In Florida, the state Supreme Court in 2021 disciplined a workers’ compensation defense attorney after it was shown that he was texting a claims adjuster witness during a remote, internet-based hearing.

The South Carolina commission conducts some appeals remotely, but the recent order does not appear to apply to remote proceedings.

Topics Workers' Compensation South Carolina