Cameras are banned from Pa. courtrooms. How a lawmaker is trying to change that

A member of the Pennsylvania Legislature's Goverment Oversight Committee wants to open the commonwealth's courtrooms to cameras.

State Rep. Jamie Flick, R-Lycoming, is seeking cosponsors for a bill that could amend Rule 1910 of the Pennsylvania Code. State law now maintains that "judges shall prohibit broadcasting, televising, recording or taking photographs in the courtroom and areas immediately adjacent thereto during sessions of court or recesses between sessions."

Flick cited personal experience, as well as the infamous early 2000s "Cash for Kids" scandal in Luzerne County, as inspiration for his prospective bill.

"That took five years to uncover," Flick said of the "Cash for Kids" case that sent two Court of Common Pleas judges to prison for kickbacks. "If there had been cameras in the courtroom, that would have been a much more provable case and justice would have been served much sooner."

"There's cameras everywhere ... why not in the court system?"

When Flick hopes to file the bill

A draft of the bill should be completed by June 1, according to Flick, in advance of the 2024-25 budget. He noted he already has co-sponsorship commitments from a handful of colleagues.

"I expect this to get bipartisan support," Flick said. "Pennsylvania is, year in, year out, one of the most corrupt states in the nation. We have sent attorney generals to prison, from top on down."

Flick added that he expects some resistance to his proposal because of the cost of buying and installing cameras.

Most states allow cameras in the courthouse

The Radio Television Digital News Association lists Pennsylvania as one of just five states that prohibits cameras in courtrooms. Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana and Oklahoma are the others.

Cameras are also barred in federal courtrooms, and each circuit court with the exception of the Second Circuit and Ninth Circuit under limited circumstances.

Dan Shelley, president and CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association, said his organization has been leading the push for reforms nationwide for decades. He cited the constitutional right to a public trial as a main reason for their advocacy.

"The entire judicial system has a credibility problem in the United States today, particularly post-George Floyd," Shelley said, noting that former President Donald Trump's ongoing hush money trial in New York is an example of high-profile court proceedings kept off camera.

"What's really striking to me is that you look at Russia today, and every single time a prominent defendant has faced a judicial proceeding in Russia, there are TV cameras in the room. In the United States when that happens, it's almost the exception to the rule, and there's something wrong with that."

Judicial advocates want law to change

Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, said it's time for the commonwealth to revisit its camera-in-courts prohibition.

"We're in the minority on this issue," she said. "And it's a very old rule."

Flick's attempt to amend the law is the first such effort in recent memory, according to Melewsky. She believes greater transparency in courts will lead to greater trust in the system.

"There's no question it will get pushback from some legislators and some judges as well," she said.

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts CEO Deborah Gross agreed. She said that while she's in favor of cameras in courtrooms, she's heard arguments about whether enough safeguards will be in place.

"There's always the concern of privacy and the concern about intimidation of witnesses. There's also the question of safety of judges," Gross said.

Flick's co-sponsorship memo noted his bill won't allow for unlimited camera use in courtrooms, and that recordings of children and any alleged sexual assault victims would still be prohibited.

Bruce Siwy is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Pennsylvania state capital bureau. He can be reached at bsiwy@gannett.com or on X at @BruceSiwy.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: State rep. Jamie Flick is working to lift PA courthouse camera ban