The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings yesterday (2/14/07) on "Judicial Security and Independence."
In the question and answer period, Justice Anthony Kennedy was asked by committee ranking member Arlen Specter about his position on cameras in the courtroom (he has introduced a bill to that effect).
Kennedy argued against them. Which raises an interesting question about the impact of the media on institutional deliberation. Does secrecy (or at least a degree of insulation) facilitate a higher level of deliberation than we would otherwise expect? Or do the demands of tranparency--a key component of democracy--require that all governmental deliberations that do not compromise security interests be completely public, and even broadcast.
