TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jun 23, 2026

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced a pair of bills that would allow television cameras in federal courtrooms, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act would authorize the presiding judge to permit the “photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting or televising” of court proceedings at their discretion. The Cameras in the Courtroom Act would direct the U.S. Supreme Court to allow television coverage of oral arguments and other sessions open to the public, unless a majority of justices decide the action violates due process. According to Reuters, senators cited a need to end longstanding broadcast prohibitions that have inhibited the ability of most Americans to watch proceedings in major cases. The federal judiciary opposes cameras in its courtrooms, in part because of increasing concerns over deepfakes and the cost of retrofitting courtrooms for the inclusion of cameras, the ABA Journal reports. Read more from the Judiciary Committee.