Gavel Grab

The New York Times is editorializing in favor of “reality TV”–when it comes to the U.S. Supreme Court, that is.

The newspaper’s editorial picks up on a recent poll showing more than 60 percent of voters  favored televising the proceedings of the Supreme Court, and it laments that the court  “seems determined to keep its work out of the public’s eye.” Here are reasons the editorial cites in support of high court cameras:

“Cameras in the court would allow Americans to see for themselves how an extremely powerful part of their government works. They would also allow voters to hold presidents accountable for the quality of justices they nominate. Right now, we see the justices during their confirmation hearings and rarely after that.”

Responding to people who oppose cameras in lower courts, the editorial points out that fair-trial concerns involving possible intimidation of witnesses and jurors are not at play in proceedings of the Supreme Court.

The editorial urges passage of Sen. Arlen Specter’s “sense of the Senate” resolution urging the court to allow cameras, and if it does not pass, the adoption of law requiring the televising of the court’s proceedings. You can read more about cameras in the courtroom in Gavel Grab.