Westmoreland County Judges Ban Twitter, Texting In Court

Judges in Westmoreland County have decided to ban Twitter, text messaging and other electronic communication from Common Pleas and district courtrooms.

The judges, based in Greensburg, said Rule 112 of the state's criminal court procedures specifically prohibits electronic transmissions from courtrooms.

Despite that, some judges in the county and elsewhere have been allowing such things. Earlier this month, a district judge in Greensburg let a TV reporter blog during a murder hearing and a Dauphin County judge has let reporters use Twitter to send messages from the public corruption trial of former state Rep. Mike Veon.

Westmoreland President Judge John Blahovec said all that will now cease in his county.

• E-Mail Newsletter: Get The Latest News Sent To Your E-Mail! • Mobile: Get WPXI Headlines On Your Phone, iPhone, More • RSS: Add Us To Your Page!