The federal judiciary is renewing its opposition to cameras in courts ahead of a Senate markup on bipartisan legislation that would allow appeals court and district court judges to permit broadcast of proceedings (article available here).
The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2021 is the latest iteration of bipartisan legislation that has been reintroduced in both chambers for years. This time around, the legislation comes as all federal appeals courts, including the Supreme Court, permitted live audio access to arguments during the pandemic. The Senate Judiciary Committee will also markup a bill to allow cameras in the Supreme Court, the Cameras in the Courtroom Act (S.807).
“The intimidating effect of cameras on litigants, witnesses, and jurors has a profoundly negative impact on the trial process,” Roslynn Mauskopf, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, said in a letter to Senate Judiciary leaders Wednesday on behalf of the judiciary’s policymaking arm, the Judicial Conference. As AO director, Mauskopf is secretary of the Judicial Conference.