Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Bill to Televise High Court Proceedings

Image via WikipediaBy an 11-7 margin, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved S. 1945 concerning televising U.S. Supreme Court proceedings, according to the Wall St. Journal law blog.

The measure would amend Chapter 45 of Title 28 of the United States Code by adding Sec. 678 Televising Supreme Court Proceedings. Broadcasting the High Court sessions would not be mandatory, as a majority of justices could vote against allowing electronic access to arguments in any given case. The proposed legislation has a cousin in the House of Representatives, H.R. 3572, the Camera in the Courtroom Act of 2011.

Judiciary Committee members favoring the presence of tv cameras to record Supreme Court arguments include Democrats Patrick Leahy, Dick Durbin, Richard Blumenthal, Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar, Charles Schumer, Herb Kohl, Sheldon Whitehouse and Chris Coons, along with Republicans Chuck Grassley and John Cornyn. Giving a thumbs down to the bill was Democrat Dianne Feinstein and Republicans Orrin Hatch, Jon Kyl, Jeff Sessions, Lindsay Graham, Michael Lee and Tom Coburn.