New York State will prohibit smart glasses and other recording-enabled eyewear from all Unified Court System facilities beginning July 20, under a new policy announced by the Office of Court Administration.
The ban applies to all eyewear and headwear equipped with cameras, microphones, or other recording technology, including prescription smart glasses, and covers more than 1,240 state, county, city, town, and village courts across New York.
Court officials said the policy is designed to prevent the unauthorized recording of court proceedings, which is prohibited under New York law and court regulations. The restriction applies to everyone entering court buildings, including judges, attorneys, court staff, and members of the public.
Individuals arriving with smart glasses will be required to leave the devices with uniformed court officers for safekeeping before entering the courthouse.
New York joins several other states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, in restricting smart glasses in court facilities. While federal courts already prohibit recording in courtrooms, they have not announced a similar statewide ban on smart glasses.
