  
| 
| |||||||||||||||||
Justices wary of courtroom camerasFrom Bill Mears  Pending legislation calls for cameras in federal courts, including the Supreme Court. Justices are wary. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three Supreme Court justices expressed reluctance to allow cameras into their courtroom, citing the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial watched on television by millions. The subject came up Thursday during a symposium on the rule of law in the United States and around the world. Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer headlined the event. O'Connor said there was not a "total consensus" on allowing cameras in all courts, pointing to a trial she described as "involving a prominent sports figure." Having the case televised for weeks and weeks, O'Connor said, left her "pretty sad." She added, "I was uncomfortable with it." Kennedy pointed out that "some might say that if it showed a flawed system, then people ought to know about it." "Well, we saw it there," O'Connor responded. Most Supreme Court justices -- past and present -- have been opposed to cameras in their court. Antonin Scalia and David Souter have been particularly outspoken. Souter told a congressional panel a year after the Simpson trial that cameras in the high court would come "over my dead body." Cameras are banned in federal district courts, where trials are held. Two federal appeals courts, which hear cases similar to the Supreme Court, have been opened up to televised coverage on occasion. State courts have varying policies. The House this week voted to give federal judges the discretion to decide if their courts should allow cameras. Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has a bill pending that would require the Supreme Court to air most of its cases. Specter's committee will hold televised confirmation hearings for Samuel Alito in January. Alito has been nominated to replace O'Connor. Media groups have urged new Chief Justice John Roberts to reconsider the court's no-camera rule. Roberts said during confirmation hearings in September he did not have "a set view" on the policy. The Supreme Court is open to the public, but no recording devices are allowed in the court. Oral arguments are recorded, but are not available until weeks after they are heard, and are not easily available to many people. Breyer said he worried that appeals heard by justices would focus only on the "personal stories" of those at the center of oral arguments, and not on the larger issues that could affect "millions of people." Breyer urged caution and careful study on the issue by what he called neutral observers, meaning people who are not on the bench or involved in covering it. "We are trustees of this institution, and we should do nothing to harm that institution," he said. Kennedy observed, "A number of people would want to make us part of the American entertainment network." 
|
| |||||||||||||||||
| © 2007 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
 |
|
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video. 
