To watch a court hearing online, go to the website of the specific court handling the case and look for its calendar or docket entry, which will list any dial-in number, video link, or livestream for that proceeding. There is no single national portal for how to watch court hearings online, and access depends on the court, the type of case, and the individual judge. One boundary to know up front: remote public access to federal criminal proceedings is generally not available, so if that is the hearing you want, you will almost certainly need to attend in person.
What Hearings Are Actually Available Remotely
The working principle is that if a hearing would be open to spectators in a physical courtroom, it is a candidate for online access. That covers most civil hearings, bankruptcy proceedings, appellate oral arguments, and many pretrial matters.
Federal criminal cases are the major exception. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53 prohibits broadcasting judicial proceedings from the courtroom, and courts have read that to cover livestreaming and remote audio.1Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 53 – Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
For federal civil and bankruptcy cases, a policy effective September 22, 2023 allows judges to provide remote public audio access to non-trial proceedings, as long as no witness is testifying during that portion.2United States Courts. Remote Public Access to Proceedings Whether a given judge offers it is discretionary, so availability varies even inside the same courthouse.
Some categories are closed to observation entirely, in person or online: juvenile cases, proceedings involving classified information, hearings sealed to protect investigations, and cases where a judge has determined that public access would endanger someone’s safety.3United States Courts. Access to Court Proceedings States apply similar limits with their own definitions.
Finding a Federal Court Hearing
Start on the website of the specific U.S. District Court, Bankruptcy Court, or Court of Appeals where the case is pending. Every federal court publishes a daily calendar. If a hearing has been designated for remote public access, the calendar entry usually includes a phone number for dial-in audio or, less often, a video link.
For case details and docket entries, use PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). Anyone can create an account and search across federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts.4United States Courts. Find a Case – PACER Docket entries frequently contain the access details for upcoming hearings. PACER charges $0.10 per page, capped at the cost of 30 pages per document, and court opinions are free. If your charges stay at $30 or less in a quarter, the fees are waived.5PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Pricing: How Fees Work
Supreme Court Arguments
The Supreme Court streams live audio of oral arguments through its website. When arguments are scheduled, you can listen in real time from the Court’s Live Oral Argument Audio page.6Supreme Court of the United States. Live Oral Argument Audio Recorded audio is posted afterward for free. There is no live video.
Finding a State or Local Court Hearing
State court access varies widely. Some states run centralized virtual-hearing portals built during the pandemic; others leave everything to individual courthouses. The court’s own website is always the starting point. Look for links labeled remote hearings, virtual courtroom, livestream, or public access on the homepage or under the court calendar.
Most state courts that offer virtual access use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex. A few stream on YouTube, which lets you watch with nothing to install. The calendar or individual case docket lists the platform along with any meeting ID or password. Having the case number, parties’ names, or judge’s name makes finding the right hearing on a busy calendar much faster.
If the site lists no virtual option for the hearing you want, it is probably in-person only. Call the clerk’s office to confirm. Some courts will accommodate a remote observer on request when you explain why you cannot attend, but there is no guarantee.
Preparing to Watch
Once you have a link, the technical setup is straightforward. You need a stable internet connection and a device with audio — computer, tablet, or phone. Install the required application (Zoom, Webex, or Teams) beforehand so you are not fighting a download at start time.
Check the time zone carefully. Federal courts list hearings in the local time of the courthouse, so a 10:00 a.m. hearing in the Eastern District of California is Pacific time. Some courts require advance registration to receive the link; deadlines range from a couple of business days out to none at all. The court’s website or clerk’s office will say.
Many courts require observers to display their full legal name as their screen name on the video platform. Nicknames, phone numbers, or blank display names can get you denied entry or removed. Rename yourself in the app’s settings before joining.
Requesting Accommodations
If you need closed captioning, a sign language interpreter, or assistive listening technology, contact the court’s clerk or ADA coordinator ahead of the hearing. Federal courts follow Judicial Conference policy requiring reasonable accommodations for people with communication and other disabilities, including real-time transcription and interpreters with advance notice. A minimum of three business days is a reasonable target; last-minute requests may not be filled.
Joining the Hearing
On the day of, click the link or enter the meeting ID. You will typically land in a virtual waiting room while a clerk admits observers once the judge is ready. That is intentional, not a glitch.
When you are let in, your microphone will almost certainly be muted automatically. Keep it muted. Turn your camera off unless the court specifically instructs otherwise. You are there to observe, and courts treat unmuted microphones or unexpected video feeds the way a judge treats someone talking in the gallery.
Rules That Apply to Online Observers
Do Not Record
This is the rule that gets people into real trouble. You cannot record, screenshot, photograph, or broadcast any portion of an online court proceeding unless the court has given explicit permission. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53 establishes the prohibition for federal criminal cases.1Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 53 – Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited Individual federal courts extend similar prohibitions to civil proceedings through local rules, and state courts impose their own bans.
Consequences are not theoretical. Violating a recording prohibition can be treated as contempt of court. Under federal law, courts have the power to punish contempt by fine, imprisonment, or both.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 401 – Power of Court Summary contempt, where the judge witnesses the violation directly, can result in up to six months in jail. Sitting in your living room does not relax the rule. Court staff serving as co-hosts can identify participants who appear to be recording.
Decorum
Courts expect the same decorum online as in person. Disruptive behavior includes unmuting yourself, talking over participants, using distracting virtual backgrounds, or joining from a noisy environment. Judges can mute you, remove you, terminate the session, or hold you in contempt.
Some practical points: do not join from a moving car. Do not eat on camera. Do not visibly multitask. Treat it the way you would treat the back row of a courtroom. If you need to step away, disconnect rather than leaving your device running unattended.
When Online Access Isn’t Offered
If the hearing is not available remotely, most courtroom proceedings are still open to in-person spectators on a first-come, first-served basis.3United States Courts. Access to Court Proceedings Check the calendar for date, time, and courtroom number, and arrive early. High-profile cases fill available seating quickly, and once the gallery is full, additional observers may be turned away.
For federal cases you can still follow the docket through PACER: motions, orders, and other filings are available electronically, and some courts post audio recordings of hearings afterward. Audio files on PACER cost $2.40 each.8United States Courts. Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule Supreme Court argument recordings go up on the Court’s website for free after each session. Some state courts publish recordings or transcripts on their websites, though the practice is uneven.