Russ Feingold: “I am proud to once again support the Grassley-Schumer bill on cameras in the courtroom. This proposal was reported by…”

“I am proud to once again support the Grassley-Schumer bill on cameras in the courtroom. This proposal was reported by the Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan vote in the last two congresses, and I very much hope we can get it signed into law this year. When the workings of Government are transparent, the people understand their Government better and can more constructively participate in it. They can also more easily hold their public officials accountable. I believe this principle can and should be applied to the judicial as well as the legislative and executive branches of Government, while still respecting the unique role of the Federal judiciary. We have a long tradition of press access to trials, but in this day and age, it is no longer sufficient to read in the morning paper what happened in a trial the day before. The public wants to see for itself what goes on in our courts of law and I think it should be allowed to do so. Concerns about cameras interfering with the fair administration of justice in this county are, I believe, overstated. Experience in the State courts--and the vast majority of States now allow trials to be televised--has shown that it is possible to permit the public to see trials on television without compromising the defendant's right to a fair trial or the safety or privacy interests of witnesses and jurors.…”