Cameras in the Courtroom Essay - 1082 Words

Cameras in the Courtroom This fall, Zacarias Moussaoui is scheduled to go to trial for his participation in the airplane bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City. Along with the media frenzy that accompanies a trial of this magnitude, a separate battle is being waged between Courtroom Television Network LLC (Court-TV) and the U.S. Government over the right of the former to televise trial proceedings. The Government of the United States’ opposition is stated in a legal brief dated January 4, 2002. Their stance is that â€Å"the televising of federal criminal trials is prohibited by both Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53 (‘The taking of photographs in the courtroom during the progress of judicial proceedings or radio†¦show more content†¦532 (1965), many potential pitfalls of televised proceedings are listed, including: â€Å"(1) the possibility that televising the proceedings will have a ‘direct bearing on (a juror’s) vote as to guilt or innocence’, (2) the possibility that jurors will be ‘preoccupied with the telecasting rather than with the testimony’, (3) the possibility that jurors will be influenced by television broadcasts of the proceedings or subjected to commentary or criticism from members of the public, (4) the difficulty of obtaining an unbiased venire if a retrial is required in a case where the first trial was televised†¦.† Court-TV’s brief requests allowance for cameras in the courtroom. It opens with the statement that all while fifty states permit some type of television coverage, and thirty-seven states allow cameras in criminal proceedings, the federal courts do not allow cameras in the courtroom. The defendant claims that this ban is unconstitutional. They go on to argue that â€Å"there is no principled constitutional distinction between the right to observe legal proceedings first-hand and the right to record and telecast thoseShow MoreRelatedCameras in the Courtroom Essay1992 Words   |  8 PagesCameras in the Courtroom By: Justin Taylor MCJ 6257-08C-2, Criminal Courts and Professional Ethics 4-10-10 Cameras in the Courtroom In the electronic world that we live in, every aspect of life can be broadcast across the country in seconds. This aspect is even more realistic when cameras are front and center in American courtrooms. 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