1989-03-24 Comments of Star Tribune.pdf - Minnesota Judicial Branch

NYSBA Media Law Committee's suggested amendment to cameras bill.
C
ReDOrt on Amendment to Cameras in the Courtroom Statute
Enclosed is a proposed amendment to New York
State's Cameras in the Courtroom statue, Judiciary Law
5 218, entitled elAudio-Visual Coverage of Judicial Proceed-
ings." The proposed bill essentially makes permanent the
statute which allowed cameras in New York courtrooms on an
18-month experimental basis, effective December 1, 1987, and
therefore is proposed to be effective June 1, 1989. It was
drafted, and is recommended by, the Bar Association's
Special Committee on Media Law.
According to the judiciary, practicing attorneys,
and the public, the experiment of having cameras cover judi-
cial proceedings during the past year has been an unguali-
fied success. The public has seen, both live, on tape and
in the print media, actual courtroom proceedings enabling it
to better understand not only the role of the judiciary in
our society, but also how an actual courtroom operates.
Millions of New Yorkers, who could not have personally
attended trials over this last year, were privileged to have
seen courtroom proceedings. Furthermore, fears' of the
courtroom disruptions and interference with fair trial
rights have proved to be unfounded. Indeed, in the many
proceedings which have been open to cameras, we know of no
problems which were reported.