Cameras in the Courtroom

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the press has long argued for the right to bring cameras into the courtroom arguing that (1) freedom of speech and the press is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution and that, (2) in a truly free society, the public has a right to know what goes on inside a courtroom. However, the courts claim that the use of cameras in a court room could influence public sentiment about a trial, which, in turn, might influence the jury. The author reviews court rulings of the Lindbergh kidnapping case, "Rideau vs. the State of Louisiana", "Billie Sol Estes vs. State of Texas", "Nixon vs. Warner Communications", "United States vs. Mitchell", O. J. Simpson cases and the Clinton-Lewinsky fiasco, regarding the use of cameras in these court rooms, the decisions strengthening these rulings and the current opinions of the courts. The paper concludes that the press and the courts are dependent upon each other; if there were no freedom of the press, there would be no one to make sure a defendant received a fair trial. Several long quotes.

From the Paper:

"The issue of cameras in the courtroom popped up again in the fiasco between President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. The defense sought to use illegally tapped telephone conversations against the President. In this case, the Court ruled the public right to know outweighed the President's right to privacy. President Clinton's testimony was broadcast on TV in front of millions of viewers, but the President came out looking like the winner. The prosecutor Kenneth Starr wanted to expose Clinton on television, but failed, "Instead, the camera captured a controlled and confident Clinton telling his side of the story in detail for the first time. He rebutted much of the legal case against him and launched a counterattack on the four-year, $40-million prosecution as unfair and politically driven.""

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