The Supreme Court failed to release a recording of its proceedings on a high profile gun rights case, McDonald v. Chicago, and the Radio Television Digital News Association wants to know why. Even though SCOTUS remains camera shy, it has been routinely releasing audio since 2000, according to RTDNA.
“The Supreme Court is the ultimate people’s court, and people have the right to hear and see what goes on there,” said RTDNA Chairman Stacey Woelfel. “It’s disappointing that the news media are not allowed to use their best tools to deliver this important story to their audiences.”
Bush v. Gore initiated the practice of at least releasing audio recordings of arguments heard in the highest court. And RTDNA doesn’t want it stopping there, either. “RTDNA renews its call for the court to release audio and video recordings of its proceedings to the media in all of its cases,” Woelfel said. “Only in that way can the public really see and hear the justices at work.”
RBR-TVBR observation: The justices at this court have the employment security of a lifetime appointment, and they perform work of vital importance to the citizens of this nation who pay their salaries, and it’s high time we got to see them going about our work.
The two biggest differences between a sketch artist and a camera, or a stenographer and a microphone, are speed and accuracy. If artists and stenos are allowed into the court – and they’d better be – then there is no valid earthly reason to bar technological improvements that date back to the last millennium.
Really – either at the very least we keep SCOTUS on a par with 50-year-old technology or they have to go back to wearing wigs. And using outdoor restroom facilities.
