The leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday introduced a bill that would force the Supreme Court to set up cameras in its chambers while it hears arguments.
Citing the court new practice of streaming live audio during the coronavirus pandemic, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa argued that it was time to bring in cameras, too, as both chambers of Congress have done.
“It’s time to put cameras in the Supreme Court so Americans can finally deliberations and rulings on cases which will affect them for generations to come,” Durbin said in a statement.
Grassley added that the cameras in the courtroom would force the body to be more transparent as its prominence in public life continues to grow.
The two senators have long been proponents of putting cameras in the Supreme Court, introducing similar legislation in both 2017 and 2019. In both cases, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Amy Klobuchar, both Democrats, have co-sponsored the legislation.
The Supreme Court famously has never allowed cameras to record its proceedings and only last year began streaming its audio live once the pandemic made it impossible for the body to hear cases in person.
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Members of the court have historically resisted calls for cameras, saying that such a move would politicize the body. Justice Samuel Alito in 2019 said he was once a strong believer in televising court arguments until he joined the body in 2006.
“Allowing the arguments to be televised would undermine their value to us as a step in the decision-making process,” he said.
