Should Cameras be allowed in the Courtroom?



Should Cameras be allowed in the Courtroom?

Introduction

In 1946, when the criminal rules were adopted the federal courts in United States prohibited the electronic media coverage in the criminal proceedings. These prohibition were under the Criminal Procedure 53 of Federal Rule where the court was not permitted to take the photographs in the courtroom during the judicial proceedings except otherwise provided by statute. There were proceedings to allow the cameras in the courtroom when Chief Justice in 1988 appointed an Ad Hoc committee on courtroom cameras. In 1990, the judicial conference was held permitting the electronic media coverage of civil proceedings in two appellate and six district courts (US, Courts).

New policies were stated regarding the authorization of the broadcasting, recording, photography and televising the courtroom during the adjacent proceedings like ceremonial or naturalization. It depends on the judge to authorize the adjacent areas during other proceedings for security purposes, for evidence presentation, for judicial administration and for the perpetuation of the record of proceedings. In this paper two of the cases are highlighted to analyze that whether the cameras in the courtroom should be allowed or not. These cases are O.J Simpson trial and the Anna Nicole murder case.

Discussion

While, in the democratic society people have right to access and sit in the courts gallery and watch the trial. The court trials are often very complicated for the non-lawyers to understand therefore media coverage with commentary would be helpful for the educational experience. However, by enlarging the constitutional rights of the citizens and their access to courtroom may enable the public to prejudge the decision which will affect the final verdict of jury. In response there it may create the conflict between the public and the jury where the public will have their own perspective and non-lawyer background while the Judges and jury will decide according to their experience and judicial perspective (Cohn, 2002).

In the case of O.J Simpson, he was accused of murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and the waiter who was friend to her ex-wife. This case was filed in 1994 and the trial was televised from the courtroom due to which this trial received recognition and has been considered as the most publicized trial in history of America. The trial lasted for eight months and the Simpson was acquitted with the charge of murders. The permission of the cameras during the trial made it the longest running entertainment in America which eventually resulted in the demise the controversy about cameras surrounding the trials. After this trial about forty-seven of the states allow the cameras as process to present reports and evidence.

Since 1991 there has been 380 trials broadcasted, with the excess coverage of the court trials there has been higher exposure and rethinking on the issues by the public. Moreover, the recording of the court trials will allow the opponents to blame the Simpson trial for media feeding frenzy and the questionable antics of the ...