Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin introduced a bill to require the Supreme Court to televise its proceedings.
The Cameras in the Courtroom Act of 2017 would force the high court to allow television coverage of its proceedings unless the Supreme Court decides by a majority vote that doing so would violate the due process rights of one or more of the parties before the court.
“Decisions made by the Supreme Court impact the lives of all Americans in every corner of the country, but their proceedings often don’t reach beyond the four walls of the court room,” Durbin, of Illinois, said Thursday. “It’s time for the Supreme Court to embrace technology and transparency.”
Democratic Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota co-sponsored Durbin and Grassley’s legislation. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., introduced companion legislation in the House earlier this year.
The new proposal comes one day after Grassley and Klobuchar proposed legislation to allow cameras in federal courtrooms.
The proposals for televised coverage of court proceedings come ahead of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Judge Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court nomination, which begin Monday. The topic may come up during the hearings.
