Reporting by Taylor Seely, Arizona Republic
The Arizona Supreme Court wants more opinions from the public on whether they should allow people to use their phones or other personal devices to record in courtrooms.
The request comes as the high court considers tightening the rules in response to concerns from judges and attorneys that content creators are filming and livestreaming without permission, disrupting cases and interfering with justice.
Chief Justice Ann Timmer said the court collected public comment for three months earlier this year but news reports about the potential rule change spurred more interest.
Since the justices want “input from as many people as possible … we are again asking for public comment,” she said.
The Arizona Republic reported about the potential rule change in October. Numerous proposals were filed but the most serious petition up for consideration was filed in January by a task force led by Arizona Supreme Court Justice John Lopez.
If the petition is approved, the changes would give judges full control to allow or deny any sort of recording in courtrooms and more authority to clamp down on disruptive recording in other areas of courthouses.
The rule-change effort came after a Tucson city prosecutor, Matthew Walker, solicited the justices to give judges more control over their courtrooms. He pointed to a stalking and harassment case between his wife and a YouTuber named Lane Myers.
That case has been embroiled in controversy since at least Nov. 2, when Tucson police executed a search warrant at the Walkers’ home and seized their devices. The seizure came after investigators came upon evidence showing emails that helped put Myers in prison were linked to an IP address associated with Walkers’ own home.
The court announced the reopening of public comment Nov. 5. Timmer said news about the Walkers played no role in the high court’s decision to reopen public comment. The justices will hear the task force’s petition in December. Public comment is now due by Nov. 23.
Backlash to the effort initially came from judicial transparency activists and supporters of Myers. Traditional print and broadcast news outlets also expressed alarm, particularly after the task force first proposed changes that media outlets described as “draconian.”
The latest proposal has softened, eliciting mixed reactions from media professionals and representatives.
How to submit a comment to the Arizona Supreme Court
To submit a comment, visit rulesforum.azcourts.gov/, and click “register” to create an account. The reference number for the task force’s petition is R-26-0003.
For further instruction on how to submit an online comment, visit this webpage and click “How do I file a comment on a Rule 28 petition?”
Alternatively, the court said the public can submit a 1-page written comment with the Clerk of the Supreme Court in Phoenix at 1501 W. Washington St., Room 402.
It must be submitted in an envelope marked “Rule Comment.” Any person filing a physical copyof their comment must also provide a copy to the petitioner either electronically or by ordinary mail. The “petitioner” in this case would be “Hon. John R. Lopez, IV, Chair Task Force on Rules of the Supreme Court of Arizona.” His address at the court is 1501 W. Washington St., 85007.
How a Youtuber’s stalking case led the Supreme Court to reconsider courtroom recording rules
Myers pled guilty to felony charges of harassing and stalking Matthew Walker’s wife, Shannon Walker, in 2025.
The case became a rallying cry among Myers’ supporters for the importance of First Amendment rights that protect the ability to hold accountable and fiercely scrutinize those in power, including in ways that may be offensive.
That rallying cry intensified in October, when Myers was sentenced to three years in prison after a judge found he violated his probation by again posting videos about the Walkers and leading others to send Shannon Walker harassing and threatening emails.
But in early November, the Pima County Attorney’s Office asked the judge to release Myers from prison.
The Republic was the first to report that search warrants linked at least one of the harassing emails sent to Shannon Walker to an IP address associated with the Walkers’ own home. Tucson has since placed Matthew Walker on paid leave, citing a pending investigation.
While Walker was involved in the creation of the task force’s petition, Timmer said developments in his case would have no bearing on their consideration of the proposal in December. She also said the court had already decided to reopen public comment before the latest news developments related to the Walkers.
Taylor Seely’s role covering First Amendment issues at The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com is made possible by a collaboration among Freedom Forum, Journalism Funding Partners and the USA TODAY Network. Freedom Forum does not provide editorial input.
Do you have a story about the government infringing on your freedoms? Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116. She can be reached on Instagram at @taylor.azc.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic.
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