Media and Public Access
Supreme Court justices should end their broadcast media ban and allow the public to demonstrate on the plaza in front of the building.
Which of Our "Fixes" Is the Most Pressing?
Is it the justices' lack of ethics code? Their ability to buy and sell stocks of companies that have cases before them? The lack of live audio from their courtroom? Or something else?
“They were for it before they were against it.”
At the time of their nominations, all nine current Supreme Court justices were in favor of granting broadcast media access (that’s live video and audio coverage) in the courtroom for oral argument. But, curiously, they each changed their minds once they reached the high court.
Video coverage of Supreme Court hearings has never been allowed, and the audio files of such hearings are released at the end of the week, rendering them all but useless to news directors across the country.
To make public access to the public institution even more challenging, the court does not allow individuals to congregate or demonstrate on its spacious front the plaza. The U.S. Department of Justice even prosecuted a man for having the audacity to stand on the plaza while holding a sign.
So there’s lots to fix here.
Which of Our "Fixes" Is the Most Pressing?
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