Anyone who has ever had to go into the Richmond district or circuit courthouses to pay a traffic ticket, claim money one is owed, seek protection from violence, serve on a jury, or any number reasons, they have always been refused entry if they had their cellphone on them. The antiquated rule and the problems stemming from it was highlighted in an April article from The New York Times about evictions, focusing on Richmonders who took the bus to their court date and hid their phones in the bushes outside the building after being told they could not carry them inside
Unfortunately, it was a relatively common sight on busy mornings. However, a recent but quiet change in the policy now means that cellphone-carrying citizens will no longer be turned away at the door for having their mobile device with them.
Late last month, Richmond Sheriff Antionette Irving changed the policy so that cellphones can be stored by deputies in a locked cabinet while visitors conduct business. Before the measure, some legal justice advocates called the cellphone prohibition a “barrier to justice” for people without their own personal cars, in which they can safely store their devices.
In a report from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Martin Wegbreit, the director of litigation at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, said, “The change is long overdue.”
“It’s horrible that people would all of a sudden be turned away for carrying an everyday, normal item and miss their court date, which, tragically, happened quite frequently.”
The “quiet” notion of the change comes as the only public notice of the end of cellphone prohibition came in the form of modifications made to signage in front of the court buildings. A piece of tape is now placed over the word “cellphones” on a list of banned items.
Many who are served with court papers are not aware cellphone were banned in district and circuit courthouses, especially those who were served eviction notices as told in The New York Times.
The rules governing cellphones in courthouses vary around the Commonwealth. Typically, it is up to the chief justice of each court to decide if they are prohibited. In courthouses where they are banned, it is largely up to the sheriffs who oversee security to decide whether to provide temporary storage.
Chesterfield County currently maintains an all-out cellphone ban like Richmond’s old policy.
Further east, Charlottesville Circuit Court provides small lockers just outside the security checkpoint for people to store cellphones.
In Henrico County courts, deputies had allowed people to bring their cellphones into the building after sealing them in envelopes. Though, county judges issued an order in 2017 to discontinue the practice after visitors to the court buildings were using them inside.
Henrico Sheriff Michael Wade said, “People would take them out of the envelope, and the judges got tired of hearing them.” He added, “We have a lot of people who take the bus, so we’re looking for an alternative.”
