ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a list of adverse effects which have been predicted to be the likely consequences of allowing cameras into court. To allow television coverage of judicial proceedings would bring the viewer to the actuality of what goes on in court. It would bring the viewing public into the courtroom. Media interest in the work of the courts is an international phenomenon. Fear of physical disruption and interference with the business of the court are among the reasons most commonly cited for seeking to limit or exclude cameras from courtrooms. Modern equipment is smaller and quieter than that which was in use when many of the laws regulating photography in court were first established. In the United States, rules prohibiting use of cameras in the courtroom have been argued to conflict with the first amendment to the constitution which provides that Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech or of the press.
