Lawmakers call for cameras in high court

With a number of high-profile cases, including two on same-sex marriage and ObamaCare, being argued before the Supreme Court this session, lawmakers want the public to be able to tune in to the proceedings.

{mosads}On Wednesday, Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reintroduced legislation that would televise the high court’s arguments.

The Cameras in the Courtroom Act of 2015 would require TV coverage of all open sessions of the high court unless the justices decide, by a majority vote, that doing so would constitute a violation of the due process rights of one or more of the parties arguing before the court.

Earlier this month, Durbin said he was one of the few people fortunate to attended the oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a case which will decide if the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits and subsidies for insurance are limited only to consumers of state-run marketplaces.

“Though people may disagree on the outcomes of Court rulings, I think we can all agree that the American people deserve the opportunity to see the public proceedings of the nation’s highest court,” he said in a news release.

“As the Supreme Court considers cases on healthcare, marriage equality, and many other critical issues that impact Americans’ daily lives, bringing cameras into the courtroom would only benefit the judicial process.”

The bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan 11-7 vote in 2012 and by a 13-6 vote in 2010.