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Reps. Rally for Cameras in the Courtroom Outside the Supreme Court, Introduce Bipartisan Eyes on the Courts Act

October 8, 2015

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL), Chair of the Transparency Caucus and a practicing attorney before becoming a member of Congress, along with Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Ted Poe (R-TX) continued their call for greater public access to our federal court deliberations with a rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Building. The members also introduced the bipartisan Eyes on the Courts Act, which would require cameras be permitted in the Supreme Court and at all federal appellate courts.

“The Supreme Court has begun a new term this week, yet television coverage of the Court, which would give the public more access to their deliberations, is still not permitted,” said Rep. Quigley. “The American public is better served when all three branches of our government are transparent and accessible. It is time for cameras to be allowed in the courtrooms, and the Eyes on the Courts Act would do just that.”

“The Supreme Court is not some mystical, druidic priesthood that periodically deigns to review constitutional issues and hand down their wisdom from on high,” said Rep. Connolly. “It is a human institution, a co-equal branch of government, and it is long overdue that the American public has better access to their highest court. These two bills will help bring the Court into the 21st century.”

“Public scrutiny of government proceedings is essential to democracy,” saidRep. Nadler. “But, in an age when we have nearly a thousand channels available to us on our television sets, and can stream almost unlimited programming on our smart phones, we do not have televised access to our federal courts. How is it possible that we can keep up with the Kardashians, but we cannot keep up with the Supreme Court? This legislation would finally bring these important cases into public view, by requiring that cameras be allowed in all Supreme Court and federal appellate court proceedings.”

“The Supreme Court is the most important court in the world. However, very few citizens have the chance to watch the Court in action when historic lawsuits come before it,” said Rep. Poe. “This is because the seating in the courtroom is limited. Monumental cases affect every single American; yet only a select group will be able to attend the hearing. Cameras, controlled by the Court staff, would allow for greater access in the decisions made by the nine jurists in black robes. I know cameras can be placed in a courtroom without disruption because I was one of the first judges in Texas to allow cameras to film criminal cases. A lack of seating capacity is no reason to deny the American people the right to see Supreme Court proceedings. The American people deserve an all-access pass to watch the High Court rule on the law of the land.”

Reps. Nadler, Quigley and Connolly rally for cameras in the courtroom outside of the Supreme Court building (left to right).

Rep. Quigley has been advocating for a more open and transparent Supreme Court since his arrival in Washington in 2009. Most recently, Rep. Quigley led a bipartisan, bicameral letter with Senator Durbin to Chief Justice Roberts urging the Supreme Court allow live audio in the chamber. Around the same time, he held a briefing with Rep. Issa on the importance of Supreme Court Justices disclosing to the public their financial interests in a more open, consistent and timely manner. Earlier this year, Rep. Quigley led a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts urging the Supreme Court to allow video and live audio in the chamber in light of the upcoming same-sex marriage cases. He also re-introduced the Cameras in the Courtroom Act, requiring the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open sessions of the Court, this Congress with Rep. Connolly. This past year, he authored an opinion piece in the Chicago Sun-Times arguing for real time – live audio recordings during Supreme Court hearings. Rep. Quigley is the author of the landmark Transparency in Government Act, a wide-ranging good government reform bill that would bring unprecedented access and accountability to the federal government including cameras in the courtroom. In 2013, Rep. Quigley raised the issue of permitting video transmission of SCOTUS’ public argument sessions directly with two Supreme Court justices during a House Appropriations Committee hearing.