Fix the Court, a group advocating for judiciary transparency, praised the signal sent by Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch that he would bring an "open mind" to the issue of cameras in the court.
When asked by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) during his confirmation hearing Tuesday about cameras, Gorsuch said he had not given the matter a lot of thought but signaled he would bring that open mind to it when he did, according to Fix the Court executive director Gabe Roth.
“Judge Gorsuch's answers on broadcast access and ethics, signaling an openness to reform, closely mirror what every recent nominee has said," Roth pointed out. "The difference today may be this: if confirmed, Gorsuch would be the fifth justice born in 1950 or later, and it's possible to imagine that this new majority of 'younger' justices - who grew up with television and, thanks to Watergate, with an understanding that no one in government is above the law - would be more likely to implement livestreaming of oral arguments and best practices in ethics.”
The seat Gorsuch is seeking was once held by Justice Antonin Scalia, who joined the court leaning toward allowing cameras, but eventually argued they would result in sound bites taken out of context that would provide a distorted view of the work of the court.
