Mississippi judge reprimanded for allowing cameras in court

By The Associated Press
and freedomforum.org staff

06.18.01

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JACKSON, Miss. — Lee County Justice Court Judge Pat Carr will be publicly reprimanded for allowing the news media to photograph, electronically record and broadcast the arraignment of two murder suspects.

The Mississippi Supreme Court said last week that the Code of Judicial Conduct does not allow cameras and electronic recordings in courtrooms.

Last year the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance filed a complaint against Carr concerning two instances.

The commission said that in 1998, the judge held an arraignment for two suspects charged with murder and set bail at $5 million for each of them. He allowed the proceeding to be photographed and electronically recorded by area news media, which then broadcast the proceedings to the public.

In 1999, the commission said Carr allowed print and broadcast coverage of the initial court appearance of a man charged with making threatening phone calls. And, the commission said, Carr also allowed the press to record the initial appearance of a kidnap suspect. The news media later aired this recording.

Justice Oliver Diaz, writing for the state Supreme Court, said Carr did not contest the facts in the complaint and agreed to the public reprimand at the next term of Lee County Circuit Court.

"The decision from Mississippi is not a surprise," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Va.

"The state has a long history of trying to keep cameras out of courts," Dalglish said. "It's unfortunate the judge is being punished for trying to bring Mississippi into the 20th century just as the rest of the country was moving into the 21st Century.

"Despite his courage in trying to make sure the public is able to see what is going on in its tax-supported courtrooms, I'm afraid it was inevitable for this judge to face recriminations because of the way he did it," she said.

Related

South Dakota becomes 50th state to allow cameras in court
State high court approves pilot project allowing news media to record, broadcast, photograph its proceedings.  07.26.01