The Courts of Nova Scotia, Media

This page is intended to provide the media with access to information which will be useful in coverage of court related issues. Any questions, comments and suggestions relating to this page or the documents listed below should be addressed to
Communications Director, Nova Scotia Judiciary.

NOTICE TO THE MEDIA (April 29th, 2013)

The interim policy regarding texting, Tweeting, and e-mailing from inside courtrooms has been changed temporarily ......

In the COURT OF APPEAL, the transmission of information about the proceeding from inside a courtroom by any means IS ALLOWED unless the presiding Justices say otherwise.

In the SUPREME AND PROVINCIAL COURTS, the transmission of information about the proceeding from inside a courtroom by any means IS NOT ALLOWED without the permission of the presiding Justice or Judge.

This change affects the Supreme and Provincial Courts' current policy on the use of electronic devices from inside courtrooms by prohibiting the “transmitting of text only on an electronic device” on an interim basis. The rest of the electronic devices policy remains in effect as it currently reads.

<< Policy Re: Use of Electronic Devices in The Courthouse >>

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Copies of Audio Recordings of Court Proceedings:

The Courts of Nova Scotia provide copies of the audio recordings of Court proceedings on either audio cassette tapes or CDs. No text transcripts are made availalble. However, there are several commercial transcription services in the Province.

To order a copy of the audio recordings of any Court proceedings:

Click here to FILL OUT THE FORM ON YOUR COMPUTER
Then print the completed form, sign it, and fax or deliver it to the courthouse in which the case was heard. To save as an electronic file, convert the competed form to a PDF document (requires Adobe Acrobat Pro software).

OR

Click here to PRINT AND FILL OUT THE FORM MANUALLY
Then sign the completed form and fax or deliver it to the courthouse in which the case was heard.

For contact information for Nova Scotia courthouses click here: Justice Centre Locations

Receive The Courts' Decisions
Via E-mail:

Only members of the news media are eligible to receive decisions via e-mail.

All others are directed to the newly posted "Recent Decisions" web page.
It is updated daily and contains links to Court decisions released during the most recent four weeks. Earlier decisions can be found on our searchable Decisions Database.

To receive decisions via e-mail, contact the Courts communications director:

Phone: (902) 424-6018
E-mail: piccolj@gov.ns.ca

Everyone still qualifies to receive notices of applications for publication bans.

Publication Bans:

The Courts of Nova Scotia maintain a free e-mail subscription service to advise the media of applications made to the Courts for publication bans and other similar Court orders. Subscribers receive an e-mail message advising that an application has been made and when and where it will be heard. This service has been developed by the Media-Courts Liaison Committee of Nova Scotia in an effort to comply with notice requirements for publication bans and other similar Court orders.

For an explanation of this service, detailed instructions on how to use it, and the required form, go to the Notices To The Bar page.

To subscribe, contact the Courts communications director .

Phone: (902) 424-6018
E-mail: piccolj@gov.ns.ca

Access to Search Warrant Logs In Provincial Court

Provincial Courts across Nova Scotia provide access to a binder containing log sheets for search warrants which are accessible to the public and the media. This binder only contains log sheets for accessible warrants issued or unsealed on or after October 1st, 2011.

Here is thepolicy:

Each Judicial Centre of the Provincial Court will, in addition to the search warrant log it currently maintains, keep a separate binder which contains copies of the log sheets for all search warrants which are accessible to the public (i.e., executed warrants on which reports to a justice have been made and which are not sealed). Such binder will be available for review to members of the public upon request.

When a sealed warrant is unsealed, the log sheet for that warrant will be updated to include information that is normally recorded for unsealed warrants, unless such information has been redacted. A copy of the updated log sheet shall be placed in the binder available for public viewing.

Useful Documents / Forms:

Media Guidelines

Order Form: Audio of Court Proceedings(Interactive) November, 2007

Protocol for the Release of Decisions Effective - May 2002

Cameras in the Court of Appeal - Rules & Guidelines Effective - May 2001

Cameras in the Court of Appeal - Application Process
Cameras in the Court of Appeal - Form - Application to Permit Coverage
Cameras in the Court of Appeal - Form - Affidavit
Cameras in the Court of Appeal - Form - Order Permitting Coverage
Cameras in the Court of Appeal - Form - Notice of Objection

How to edit the forms - Once you have opened the form in Acrobat Reader, you can copy them into any word processor such as MS Word or Corel. Click 'edit' in the task bar, then 'select all', then 'copy'. Open your word processor and paste the form into a blank document by clicking 'edit', then 'paste'.

Exhibit Handling Protocol Effective - February 1, 2002 [Revised - April 29, 2002]

Media Liaison Committee

The Media Liaison Committee is composed of members of the Bench and media representatives. This Committee meets regularly to discuss issues of mutual concern.

For more information about the committee, please contact:
John Piccolo
Media Liaison Committee facilitator
at: (902) 424-6018
or
piccolj@gov.ns.ca