Washington, D.C. – Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor have changed their views about letting cameras into the courtroom for the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage.
Justice Sotomayor addressed an audience in West Palm Beach, Fla., believing that cameras could impact how both the justices and the lawyers behaved in court.
In a separate appearance in Chicago, Justice Kagan agreed, saying that cameras in the courtroom could lead to grandstanding, specifically mentioning how members of Congress speak in sentences meant for television during sessions.
When Justice Sotomayor was in her confirmation hearings in 2009, she said she had a positive experience with cameras in the courtroom. Now, she feels that the cameras could cause a disruption.
The Coalition for Court Transparency, in a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts last month, said: “While the cases affect millions of people’s everyday lives, only those present in the courtroom that day will get to see and hear the oral arguments as they happen.”
The group hopes to open the courtroom to public broadcast.
