On the heels of the end of the Supreme Court 2018 term and Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called for increased transparency for judiciary through the allowance of video cameras in federal courtrooms.
The idea of cameras in federal courtrooms is something the senior senator from Iowa, who chairs the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, has advocated for in the past. In 2017, he introduced bipartisan legislation with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota). Along with U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Grassley last week urged the Supreme Court of the United States to release same-day audio recordings of all arguments heard before the high court to increase America’s confidence in the rule of law.
Grassley also recently lead a hearing examining sexual harassment and other workplace misconduct in the judiciary.
Grassley discusses the importance of video cameras in the courtroom in a video released today.
“Congress is televised. The president has news conferences often. Other things in the executive branch get televised. There’s a lot of misunderstanding about the role of the judicial branch of our government. So I’m proposing, like 45 of our 50 states have, that allow cameras in the courtroom. It brings transparency, it brings educational opportunities. So, I think it’s about time that we have rules mandating cameras in the courtroom including the Supreme Court here so people can see how the judicial branch of government functions so they can be educated about it. But the more important thing is to have respect for the judicial branch and in turn greater respect for the rule of law,” Grassley said.