PBS’s MediaShift lists eleven top stories in media law for 2011

MediaShift’s top media law stories for 2011 include journalists’ coverage of Occupy movements; the proposed online piracy legislation; net neutrality; coverage of live police actions; Righthaven and the “hot news” doctrine. -db From a commentary in MediaShift, December 23, 2011, by Rob Arcamona, Jeff Hermes and Andy Sellars. Full story

Public wants broadcast of U.S. Supreme Court health care hearings

A recent poll showed that 72 percent of the public were in favor of allowing TV cameras into the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on the new health care law. C-Span has asked the court for permission to film the proceedings to give its audience live coverage. Several justices have voiced vehement opposition to allowing cameras [...]

Cameras in courtrooms: Supreme Court ‘exceptionalism’ keeps public sidelined

U.S. Supreme Court Justices rationalize their refusal to allow cameras in their courtroom by citing the Court’s unique standing but never say why this exceptionalism justifies the camera ban, writes Tony Mauro for The National Law Journal. Mauro believes that the Justice’s life-long tenure, part of their unique standing, makes it even more advantageous to [...]

Kenneth Starr says time is right for cameras in U.S. Supreme Court

Baylor University President and former Solicitor General Kenneth Starr writes that there are lots of good reasons to improve public access to the deliberations over vital issues by the U.S. Supreme Court. Starr notes that the current court has ruled emphatically for the First Amendment but is loathe to allow the public easy access to [...]

No cameras but Supreme Court justices promise timely audio recordings of oral arguments

A Los Angeles Times writer argues that the Supreme Court justices have no valid arguments for refusing to broadcast hearings. -db The Los Angeles Times Opinion October 6, 2010 By Michael McGough Unaware that video killed the radio stars, the Supreme Court has announced that it will make available, relatively promptly, audio recordings of its [...]

U.S. judges agree to pilot study of cameras in court

The nation’s federal judges agreed yesterday to a pilot project that could televise some civil trials — 16 years after the judges ended a similar experiment. September 15, 2010 By The Associated Press WASHINGTON —Appeals court judge David Sentelle told reporters that many of the details remained to be worked out, but that cameras could [...]

Supreme Court order blocking online access to video of Prop 8 trial is a mistake the camera-phobic justices will regret

PETER SCHEER—It’s hard to imagine a video of lawyers debating points of constitutional law going viral on YouTube, but the audience for the Proposition 8 trial — a lawsuit seeking to overturn California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage — is potentially vast. Unfortunately, that audience will have to wait. As the trial began, the U.S. [...]

Sotomayor indicates support for cameras in Supreme Court

In Senate confirmation hearings, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor said she favored camera access in the high court but said should she be confirmed she would act with circumspection in making her views known to the Court. -DB First Amendment Center Analysis July 16, 2009 By Tony Mauro WASHINGTON, D.C. — If the Senate confirms Sonia [...]

Prop 8 Supreme Court hearing is best evidence yet for allowing cameras into the courtroom

By Peter Scheer The California Supreme Court’s hearing yesterday in the Prop 8 case–broadcast live over the internet via streaming video–erased any doubt about the wisdom of allowing cameras into the nation’s courts. Let’s hope US Supreme Court Justices David Souter, Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas were watching the oral arguments [...]