A coalition of progressive advocates is urging the Supreme Court to broadcast its oral arguments while the court building is closed to the public over concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Eleven advocacy groups issued a joint statement on Friday saying that the move is necessary to allow the public to remain informed about upcoming argument sessions.
“Though we applaud the Court’s quick response to the threat, we believe strongly that it must make alternative arrangements in order to ensure that the public has full transparency into the Court’s dealings,” the groups said in the statement. “In order to ensure full transparency and maintain trust from the public, the Supreme Court must make its oral arguments available to the public via live audio and video, at least until it can reopen its doors to the public.”
Among the groups that signed on to the statement are Planned Parenthood, People for the American Way, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Demand Justice.
The Supreme Court announced Thursday that it would be closing its doors to the public indefinitely. Its public information office did not respond to a request for comment on the group statement Friday and has not provided any guidance on how the closure will affect oral arguments later this month or media coverage.
A press advocacy organization, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, also called for the Supreme Court to open its oral arguments to public access cameras.
“The public has a First Amendment right to know what’s happening in its courts,” Bruce Brown, the group’s executive director said in a statement. “When the public is shut out, it erodes public trust in the judicial system.
“In times of crisis, public access to accurate information about all three branches of government is absolutely essential,” Brown added. “The public must not be left in the dark when it comes to the work of courts, particularly the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices frequently consider cases that affect the lives of all Americans.”
The court has long resisted calls for it to allow cameras in its chambers. It posts audio and transcripts of its argument sessions but the justices have been wary that broadcasting video of the arguments will turn them into public spectacles.
Earlier this week, before the closure was announced, a House Democrat who oversees the court’s funding sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts to implement livestreaming.
“The most powerful court in the land, making dramatically important decisions for everyone in this country, should not be among the few left that do not provide access made possible by readily available technology,” wrote Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who chairs a House Appropriations subcommittee on government services. “As we enter the third decade of the twenty-first century, there remain neither practical nor principled barriers to allowing the public to view Supreme Court proceedings via the Internet.”
Updated at 5:27 p.m.