Daily Talker: Cameras In All Courtrooms?

People following the Marathon bombing trial have been relying on drawings of courtroom artists and descriptions from reporters, as well as on Twitter.  It was a similar situation during the Whitey Bulger trial.  Both cases were tried in federal court, which meant no cameras in the courtroom.

Those who favor a ban in federal court point to protecting the privacy of witnesses and jurors to safeguarding the integrity of the judicial system.

They say cameras turn cases into spectacles, such as the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial for the murders ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, which turned lawyers, witnesses and the presiding judge into TV and tabloid celebrities.

Others argue it is a critical civic function by allowing the public to view trials that are often being prosecuted in their name by the government.

Supporters also point out that states have allowed cameras in courtrooms for years, and that federal courts are lagging.

What do you think?  Should cameras be allowed inside federal courtrooms?

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