In a first for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, according to Fix the Court, oral argument in a major abortion case, Garza vs. Hargan Oct. 20 will be live streamed after Fix the Court, which advocates for greater access to federal courts, made the request.
Chief Judge Merrick Garland issued the decision in a one-sentence letter to Fix the Court executive director Gabe Roth, saying simply: "Thank you for your letter of today's date, requesting that the court provide a live audio feed of arguments in Garza v. Hargan, 17-5236, tomorrow. The court will do so."
"Fix the Court learned over the summer that the circuit had internally endorsed a new live audio policy on a case-by-case basis but that as of today members of the press and public had yet to formally ask for a livestream of a specific hearing," said Roth.
Fix the Court says this will be the third federal appeals court to allow live audio after the Ninth (as a matter of routine) and Fourth (a travel ban argument).
