Supreme Court denies request to televise hearing
By The Associated Press
11.28.00
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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will allow no television coverage
of its historic argument session Dec. 1 in the Florida election case, Chief
Justice William H. Rehnquist said yesterday.
In a letter to C-SPAN Chairman Brian Lamb, the chief justice said the
nation's highest court would stick to its ban on television and photo coverage
in the courtroom.
"A majority of the court remains of the view that we should adhere to
our present practice of allowing public attendance and print media coverage of
argument sessions but not allow camera or audio coverage," Rehnquist said.
Later yesterday, Cable News Network filed a motion asking the court to
reconsider its decision and allow television coverage or at least audio
broadcast. "There has never been a case where the public's right to observe
judicial proceedings has been more important than this one," CNN's lawyers said
in court papers.
ABC, CBS, NBC and Courtroom Television Network also asked the court to
allow television coverage, and the National Narrowcast Network, an audio
actualities service, filed a separate motion seeking to provide audio
coverage.
The chief justice said a written transcript of the argument would be
made available on an expedited basis Dec. 1. The transcript is to be posted on
the court's Web site.
C-SPAN's general counsel, Bruce Collins, said in a statement his
organization was not surprised, "but we are disappointed."
"It is difficult to conceive of any other oral argument before the
court more deserving of the largest possible audience than this one," Collins
said.
The Radio-Television News Directors Association asked the justices to
reconsider their decision or at least allow audio broadcasting of the argument.
Not allowing broadcast coverage would "inhibit the ability of the public to
accept and understand any decision made by the court that affects the outcome
of the election," association President Barbara Cochran said in a
letter to
Rehnquist.
C-SPAN spokeswoman Joyce Genter said that when the transcript of the
argument becomes available Dec. 1, C-SPAN will conduct a full reading on its
television and radio stations.
Lamb wrote to the chief justice last week requesting to cover any
argument held in George W. Bush's appeal of a Florida Supreme Court decision
that extended the deadline for reporting hand-counted ballots in the state's
presidential vote.
"We respectfully suggest that televised coverage ... would be an
immense public service and would help the country understand and accept the
outcome of the election," Lamb's letter said.
Lamb said C-SPAN and other media organizations had demonstrated to the
court in 1988 that "unobtrusive television coverage could be easily
accomplished" by using two cameras, including a miniature camera facing the
attorneys' lectern, no extra lighting and the court's own sound system.
In recent years, some justices have made it clear they opposed
allowing television coverage of their arguments.
In 1996, Justice David Souter told a House Appropriations
subcommittee, "I think the case is so strong that I can tell you the day you
see a camera come into our courtroom, it's going to roll over my dead
body."
He said that when he was a judge in New Hampshire, camera coverage
affected his behavior on the bench, because he believed questions he might ask
would wind up being taken out of context on the evening news.
Update
High court agrees to release audiotape of hearing
But chief justice again denies request to televise Dec. 1 proceedings in Florida presidential election case.
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