Where Is it Legal to Have a Camera in a Courtroom?

Laws on cameras in courtrooms vary by location and by judge.

If you want to use a camera to take photos or video in court, you need to check to see if you legally can before you pop off the lens cap and begin documenting court proceedings. Depending on the court's location, the use of cameras may be prohibited. In other places, the judge decides whether to allow cameras.

Considerations

Some courts do not allow you to use a camera at all. Federal courts and courts in the District of Columbia do not allow court proceedings to be videotaped or shown on television.

Features

Some state courts allow you to use a camera if the judge says that it is okay. In other states, you may use a camera if everyone involved in the trial, such as the plaintiff, defendant and judge, approve.

Significance

Judges have been reluctant to grant observers the right to use a camera during trials because they fear that their use will disrupt courtroom proceedings or damage a defendant's right to a fair trial. In the 1965 case Texas v. Estes, the defendant asked that cameras not be allowed during his criminal trial, but the judge denied his request. The defendant was found guilty and later appealed his conviction on the grounds that the cameras and subsequent television coverage of the trial made it unfair. The appeal went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the defendant.

References

• First Amendment Center: Cameras in the Courtroom