Courtroom Access

Media Rallies to Support Citizen Journalist in SCOTUS Qualified Immunity Case

More 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

Why 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

It’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

On 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

Judge 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

The 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

The 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.” 

Media Challenges Excessive Secrecy in Federal Prosecution of Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes

Law Banning Audio Recording of Bail Proceedings in Philadelphia Is Unconstitutional

This ruling appears to be the first federal court decision to recognize a First Amendment right to record judicial proceedings in any circumstance.

Second Circuit Strikes Down Connecticut Law Sealing Judicial Records in Juvenile Felony Cases Transferred to Adult Criminal Court

The Hartford Courant argued that the law effectively required secret trials for teenagers accused of murder, rape, and other serious crimes, and seriously impeded its ability to inform readers about court proceedings.