More than 135,000 listeners went to a federal appellate court’s live stream on YouTube this week to listen to the legal arguments over President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Millions more listened as cable news networks and other websites picked up the live audio. Justice was not compromised by the broadcast, and the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts should follow this example.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regularly records video and audio feeds of hearings in its courthouses from Los Angeles to Seattle. It generally makes them available at noon the following day, and it has a user-friendly website that archives the broadcasts. You won’t find any of that for the 11th Circuit, which covers Florida. And the U.S. Supreme Court bans cameras in the courtroom and only releases audio recordings of oral arguments each Friday.
There is no reason for the federal courts to remain in the dark ages. The Florida Supreme Court has provided live broadcasts of its hearings for years. The hour-long hearing with the three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit this week proved to be fascinating for listeners — including the president — even without video. The public interest was obvious.
With the courts under attack from the president and other politicians from Washington to Tallahassee, the best way to build public confidence in the judicial branch is to be more open. The U.S. Supreme Court and the entire federal court system should follow this week’s example and provide live audio and video of their hearings.
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