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Press Information

General Information
 Press inquiries regarding the Supreme Court of Florida should be directed to Craig Waters or Jackie Hallifax in the Press Office at (850) 414-7641 or publicinformation@flcourts.org. Please note that this office is prohibited from giving legal advice or explaining the law or court opinions. Court Opinions are issued by the Clerk's Office every Thursday at 11 a.m., except for expedited or emergency cases. They are immediately posted on-line on our Opinions & Rules Page. 
 
Attending Arguments
 Oral arguments at the Florida Supreme Court are open to the public and the media. Press credentials are not required. Still photographers should make arrangements in advance through the Press Office. In unusual cases likely to attract overflow crowds, the Court will enter special procedure orders governing both public and media access
 
Videotaping On-Site
The Court and WFSU provide a direct clean feed of video and audio from oral arguments via a mult box located in the Press Room just inside the front entrance of the building. Because this feed is available, freestanding video cameras are not permitted in the courtroom except during events designated as ceremonial. Post-argument interviews should be conducted outside the front entrance of the building or at another place designated by the Press Office if the weather is inclement.
 
Satellite Downlink

The Florida Supreme Court through its broadcast partners, WFSU and The Florida Channel, distribute live and tape-delayed broadcasts of oral arguments via satellite. News organizations routinely downlink the broadcasts without need of sending satellite trucks to Tallahassee. Satellite information is:

AMC-3 (KU band) at 87degrees west; the transponder is 18,  Virtual Channel 802. The downlink frequency is 12046.750 MHz; the uplink frequency is 14348.500 MHz; the L-band frequency is 1296.750 MHz.  The symbol rate is 7.32. The FEC is 3/4. You need a DigiCipher II Receiver to decode the downlink.

The satellite may be preempted during legislative sessions and emergencies.Check with Suzanne Smith at WFSU Television for last minute changes (800) 322-WFSU, or (850) 487-3170, ext. 335.  Click HERE for further satellite information.
   
Webcasts
 Since October 1997, the Court in cooperation with Florida State University has broadcast Live Audio and Video of Court arguments on the Internet. Arguments are available as they happen except when preempted by legislative sessions or an emergency. You also can access Archived Audio and Videos 24 hours a day. Media organizations unable to travel to arguments in Tallahassee often watch these webcasts to report on stories.
   
The Florida Channel
 Broadcasts of oral argument are provided free-of-charge to local cable systems through a statewide cable news network called The Florida Channel. Because cable providers are private companies, the Court has no control over whether or when these systems will use the broadcasts. Check a list of local cable broadcasters who have used our broadcasts in the past, but check with them for exact broadcast schedules.