Federal judges in appellate courts, including the Supreme Court, and in district courts would gain discretion to allow photographing, recording, broadcasting, or televising of their courtroom proceedings to the public. Judges could block coverage if it would violate a party's due process rights, and jurors and the jury-selection process could never be filmed or broadcast. Witnesses other than parties could request that their face and voice be disguised, and the Judicial Conference would have six months to write mandatory rules protecting particularly vulnerable witnesses, such as crime victims, minors, and undercover officers. A judge's decision on whether to allow coverage could not be appealed immediately through an interlocutory appeal. District courts' authority to allow camera coverage would expire after three years unless Congress renews it, while appellate courts' authority would not expire.
Transparency & Accountability
- Media access to federal courts — Judges gain discretion to allow photographing, recording, and broadcasting of proceedings
- Sunset clause — District court media-coverage authority expires after 3 years; appellate authority is permanent
Civil Liberties
- Vulnerable-witness privacy — Mandatory guidelines required within 6 months to obscure crime victims, minors, and protected witnesses
- Juror privacy — Broadcasting of jurors and the jury-selection process barred entirely
- Privacy from public broadcast — Parties and non-vulnerable witnesses can be recorded and broadcast absent a successful due-process objection
- Interlocutory appeal rights — Barred for challenges to a judge's media-coverage decision
Congressional Summary
Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2025This bill establishes a framework to allow federal court proceedings—in district courts, in circuit courts, and at the Supreme Court—to be photographed, recorded, broadcast, or televised. Specifically, it authorizes the presiding judge to permit media coverage of court proceedings, subject to requirements and limitations.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-06-23
- Date Added
- 2026-07-11
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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