Courtroom Access
Ohio Supreme Court Won’t Let Trial Judge Dim the Lights on Courtroom Coverage
Griffin R. Reyelts and Melissa L. WattThe case arose from the media's coverage of high-profile trials of former FirstEnergy Corp. executives Charles Jones and Mike Dowling, who were charged for their alleged roles in a 2019 Ohio House Bill 6 bribery scandal.
Second Circuit Rules That Undecided Motions Are Judicial Documents Entitled to Presumption of Public Access
Sara Benson, Christine Walz, & Cindy GierhartThe Second Circuit found that the district court erred as a matter of law in holding that undecided motions rendered moot by the parties’ settlement of the case were categorically not “judicial documents” subject to a presumption of public access.
Media Rallies to Support Citizen Journalist in SCOTUS Qualified Immunity Case
Jeffrey J. PyleMore than thirty journalists and media organizations filed amicus briefs in support of Priscilla Villarreal, a citizen journalist who was arrested for requesting and reporting truthful information from a police officer.
No Cameras in the Courtroom for Trump Trial Is A Travesty
George FreemanWhy we should be hitting these walls despite a history of thousands of trials being televised without a problem really is inexplicable.
The Critical Importance of Televising the Trump Trials
George FreemanIt’s hard to believe that one-quarter of the way through the 21st century, with Americans spending more time looking at screens than ever before, the criminal trials of a former President and a leading candidate to be our next President will not be televised.
The Court and the Press in the Murdaugh Murders Trial
Jay BenderOn balance, the press members who were in Walterboro deserve as high a grade as the individuals who worked very hard to fulfill the provision in the South Carolina Constitution that all courts are public.
New York Court Upholds First Amendment Right of Access to Jury Selection in Upcoming Trump Trial
Robert Balin and Jesse FeitelJudge Gonzalez appears to be the first New York state court judge to recognizing a presumptive First Amendment right of the public and press to attend jury selection in civil trials.
Think Twice Before Recording that Zoom: Court Finds No First Amendment Right to Record Live-Streamed Court Proceedings
Rian C. DawsonThe question before the Court was whether Somberg, an attorney, was entitled under the First Amendment to obtain photo-audio-video records of courtroom proceedings streamed outside the courtroom.
Utah Supreme Court Gives Victory to Journalist Seeking Access to Records of Closed Criminal Investigation
Jeffrey J. Hunt, David C. Reymann, and Jeremy M. BrodisThe Court held that the right of judicial appeal of such decisions under the Government Records Access and Management Act (“GRAMA”) rests only with the “political subdivision” or the “requester.”