Live, From the Supreme Court

New York Times
Editorial
February 1, 2012

Since May, the Supreme Court of Britain has allowed its hearings to be broadcast live. On Wednesday and Thursday, the court is hearing arguments on the extradition of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, from Britain to Sweden and whether a Swedish prosecutor had the authority to issue a warrant for his arrest.

The British court, which replaced the Law Lords as the highest court in the land in 2009, has the good sense to see that televising hearings can boost the court’s reputation and confidence in the legal system.

The Supreme Court of the United States, however, still refuses to see these benefits. It does not allow broadcasts of oral arguments out of a misguided worry that cameras would encourage grandstanding by lawyers and might cause the justices to censor their questions.

But the court currently releases transcripts of oral arguments soon after they are finished and audio recordings of arguments the week they occur — all without causing grandstanding or self-censorship. Adding video would further enhance public understanding of the court.

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