Bindinglaw

US · rules

S.D. Ill. SDIL-LR 83.6

Fair Trial, Free Press

activein force · 2026-09-19 – presentact-effective-date

(See Fed. R. Crim. P. 6, 12.1, 16, 32, 53; 18 U.S.C. § 3322;

28 U.S.C. §§ 566, 751, 753, 755, 956)

(a) Duties of Lawyers

It is the duty of the lawyer not to release or authorize the release of

information or opinion for dissemination by any means of public

communication, in connection with pending or imminent criminal

litigation with which he/she/they are associated, if there is a reasonable

likelihood that such dissemination will interfere with a fair trial or

otherwise prejudice the due administration of justice. With respect to a

grand jury or other pending investigation of any criminal matter, a lawyer

participating in the investigation shall refrain from making any

extrajudicial statement for dissemination by any means of public

communication that goes beyond the public record or that is not necessary

to inform the public that the investigation is underway, to describe the

general scope of the investigation, to obtain assistance in the apprehension

of a suspect, to warn the public of any dangers, or otherwise to aid in the

investigation.

From the time of arrest, issuance of an arrest warrant, or the filing of a

complaint, information, or indictment in any criminal matter until the

commencement of trial or disposition without trial, a lawyer associated

with the prosecution or defense shall not release or authorize the release of

any extrajudicial statement for dissemination by any means of public

communication relating to that matter and concerning:

(1) the prior criminal record (including arrests, indictments, or other

charges of crime) or the character or reputation of the accused, except

that the lawyer may make a factual statement of the accused’s name,

age, residence, occupation, and family status, and if the accused has

not been apprehended, a lawyer associated with the prosecution

may release any information necessary to aid in his/her/their

apprehension or to warn the public of any dangers he/she/they may

present;

Page 52 of 65

(2) the existence or contents of any confession, admission, or statement

given by the accused, or the refusal or failure of the accused to make

any statement;

(3) the performance of any examinations or tests or the accused’s refusal

or failure to submit to an examination or test;

(4) the identity, testimony, or credibility of prospective witnesses,

except that the lawyer may announce the identity of the victim if the

announcement is not otherwise prohibited by law;

(5) the possibility of a plea of guilty or innocence or as to the merits of

the case or the evidence in the case; or

(6) any opinion as to the accused’s guilt or innocence or as to the merits

of the case or the evidence in the case.

(b) Duties of Court Personnel

No personnel connected in any way with this Court or its operation,

including, among others, marshals, deputy marshals, deputy clerks, court

security officers, bailiffs, jury administrators, court reporters, and interns,

shall disclose to any person, without specific authorization by the presiding

judge, any information relating to a pending criminal or civil case that is

not a part of the public record. This prohibition applies to, among other

things, the divulgence of information concerning arguments, hearings, and

discussions held in chambers or otherwise outside the presence of the

public.

(c) Special Order in Certain Cases

In a widely publicized or sensational case, the Court, on motion of either

party or on its own motion, may issue a special order governing such

matters as extrajudicial statements by parties and witnesses that might

interfere with the rights of the accused to a fair trial by an impartial jury,

the seating and conduct in the courtroom of spectators and news media

representatives, the management and sequestration of jurors and witnesses,

and any other matters that the Court may deem appropriate for inclusion

in such an order, such as:

(1) directives regarding the clearing of entrances to and hallways in a

courthouse and respecting the management of the jury and

witnesses during the course of the trial to avoid their mingling with

Page 53 of 65

or being in the proximity of reporters, photographers, parties,

lawyers, and others, both in entering and leaving the courtroom and

courthouse, and during recesses in the trial;

(2) a specific directive that the jurors refrain from reading, listening to,

or watching news reports concerning the case, and that they

similarly refrain from discussing the case with anyone during the

trial and from communicating with others in any manner during

their deliberations;

(3) sequestration of the jury on motion of any party or the Court,

without disclosure of the identity of the movant;

(4) a directive that the names and addresses of the jurors or prospective

jurors are not publicly released, except as required by statute, and

that no photographs be taken or sketch made of any juror within the

environs of the Court;

(5) insulation of witnesses from news interviews during the trial period;

and

(6) specific provisions regarding the seating of spectators and news

media representatives.

Provenance

Source
www.ilsd.uscourts.gov
Retrieved
2026-09-18
Edition
fed-district-2026-09-19
Content hash
4dd0ab11723d1a85ad2f98b10a578300f4782695e0c93f3047542338897cf6cb
View the official source →

The link goes to the issuing authority’s own document — the one we read to produce this record. Where a source publishes whole titles rather than sections, your browser may need a moment to jump to the provision.

Unofficial copy of government-published law, reproduced from official sources with full provenance. Not an official publication; verify against official sources before relying on it in a filing. Records in the 'guidance' corpus, and only that corpus, are sub-regulatory (interpretive guidelines, survey procedures) and are not binding law. Validity bounds follow each jurisdiction's declared temporalBasis.

Coverage · API docs

Bindinglaw

Point-in-time US law with the receipt attached. Source URL, retrieval time, content hash, and validity dates on every answer.

curl api.binding.law/v1/law/coverage

© 2026 binding.law · a Jubal, Inc. productAttorneys and firms never pay. Ever.
S.D. Ill. SDIL-LR 83.6 — Fair Trial, Free Press · binding.law