Health care oral argument : Might be Televised

Americans following the health care reform saga since March 2010 now have a chance to be part of the last parts of the drama. According to a USA Today report, TV media leaders and the Congress is asking the court to allow the hearings to be televised.  They conducted a survey and the result showed that 72% of the public wanted to see the arguments on TV.

This has the potential to change how trials are done. More and more people are asking to see the arguments televised. If the judges allow cameras in the health care reform hearings, the public might demand the same on other popular cases as well.  One New York University law professor has said that it is inevitable that this will happen. The only question is when.

Chairman Brian Lamb of C-SPAN appealed in writing to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. asking him to allow them to broadcast the oral argument. In his letter he said that “It is a case which will affect every American’s life, our economy, and will certainly be an issue in the upcoming presidential campaign. Members of the Congress who are in favor of televising the argument showed support. Representatives believe that this is a rare chance to witness the oral arguments and therefore the public should not be deprived of it. The public is allotted 50 seats in the courtroom. It would take a few hours of camping outside just to get a chance to get in and witness the proceeding. But it should be made available to most if not all Americans. The judiciary is the only branch in the federal government that is free from television coverage. No response had been issued yet.

Senators who were against it argue that allowing cameras in the courtroom will only distract their colleagues and might compromise the integrity of the court. Washington lawyer Maureen Mahoney believe that the “ the proposal would violate the constitutional separation of powers”. Chief Justice Roberts had earlier said that “he was worried about the effect of cameras on lawyers and justices and potential “grandstanding.” This is where the difference between the new breed and the veterans come in. Younger justices have voiced out their approval for televised arguments.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the judiciary committee has proposed to allow but not require “televising of all federal court hearings, at the discretion of a chief judge or chief justice.” “It’s the easiest thing in the world to set up stationary cameras unobtrusively. The same way we do in the Senate chamber, I don’t think any one of us stops to think where the cameras are.”