Pursuant to Standing Order 2026-04, effective November 2, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland will implement a new policy regarding portable electronic devices.  The policy requires that unless an exception applies, visitors to the federal courthouses in Baltimore and Greenbelt may not bring portable electronic devices into the courthouses.   Portable electronic devices include laptop computers, cellular phones (including smart phones), electronic tablets, cameras, smart watches, smart glasses, and any other instruments capable of photography, video recording, audio recording, or wireless communications (including earpieces and fitness trackers).

Persons excepted from this policy may possess portable electronic devices inside the courthouses, provided they present credentials necessary to confirm their status to court security personnel upon request.  Excepted individuals include:

• Members of the Bar of the District of Maryland, pro hac vice attorneys, and counsel of record in scheduled proceedings, who must present an electronic bar membership credential to court security personnel upon entry to the courthouse.  Attorneys authorized to practice will receive an email with instructions on obtaining their electronic bar credential.  Please activate your electronic bar credential promptly upon receipt of this email.
• Sitting and prospective petit and grand jurors, who must present their summons or VoiceMetrix notification to court security personnel upon entry to the courthouse. 
• Litigants attending scheduled traffic and other petty offense proceedings, who must present to court security personnel any notice or summons issued by the Central Violations Bureau (CVB) reflecting the date of the proceeding.
• Visitors attending naturalization proceedings or other ceremonial, educational, or training programs, as permitted by the presiding judge. 
• Employees and contractors of the United States Courts, federal state, and local law enforcement officers, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office, the U.S. Trustee’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the General Services Administration, who must present a photo identification card, personal identity verification (PIV) card, or electronic credential to court security personnel upon request. 
• Excepted individuals other than those listed above, including accompanying members of an attorney’s staff, pro se litigants appearing for a scheduled proceeding, members of the media, and individuals with a special need, may obtain prior permission to bring an electronic device into the courthouse through the Electronic Device Request form on the Court’s website.

All individuals who qualify for an exception and have not obtained prior permission may request an Electronic Device Pass from the Clerk’s Office. 

Any portable electronic devices not permitted to be brought into the courthouses will be securely stored in lock boxes located in the lobby until the owner retrieves the devices upon departure from the courthouse. 

Use of portable electronic devices is strictly limited to approved purposes as provided for in Standing Order 2026-04.  For further information and a complete list of exceptions, please review the Standing Order.