Monday, December 21, 2009
Television coverage of federal court proceedings is a rare occurrence, but next month the sprawling Ninth Circuit will begin experimenting with cameras in courtrooms. The nation’s largest appellate court—which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington—has given judges the authority to decide whether or not to bring TV into civil proceedings that do not involve juries. Criminal cases and civil jury trials still will be off limits.
Alex Kozinski, the Ninth Circuit’s chief judge, called the camera decision an “experiment” that “is designed to help us find the right balance between the public’s right to access to the courts and the parties’ right to a fair and dignified proceeding.”
One of the first high-profile cases that could be televised in January is the challenge to Proposition 9, which banned gay marriage in California.
In a separate move, the California Supreme Court agreed to make California the first state to provide public access to the administrative records of all state courts, including financial and budget details.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Rule Invites Cameras into Federal Civil Cases (by John Schwartz, New York Times)
Ninth Circuit Judicial Council Approves Experimental Use of Cameras in District Courts (U.S. Courts for the Ninth Circuit) (pdf)
In Separate Moves, State and Federal Courts in California OK Policy Changes Allowing Greater Public Access (by Peter Scheer, First Amendment Coalition)
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