(4) In the twenty-first century, the people of the 
United States obtain information regarding judicial 
matters involving the Constitution, civil rights, and 
other important legal subjects principally through the 
print and electronic media. Television, in particular, 
provides a degree of public access to courtroom pro-
ceedings that more closely approximates the ideal of 
actual physical presence than newspaper coverage or 
still photography. 
(5) Providing statutory authority for the courts 
of the United States to exercise their discretion in 
permitting televised coverage of courtroom proceedings 
would enhance significantly the access of the people to 
the Federal judiciary. 
(6) Inasmuch as the first amendment to the Con-
stitution prevents Congress from abridging the ability 
of the people to exercise their inherent rights to free-
dom of speech, to freedom of the press, and to petition 
the Government for a redress of grievances, it is good 
public policy for the Congress affirmatively to facili-
tate the ability of the people to exercise those rights. 
(7) The granting of such authority would assist 
in the implementation of the constitutional guarantee 
of public trials in criminal cases, as provided by the 
sixth amendment to the Constitution. As the Supreme
Court stated in In re Oliver (1948), ‘‘Whatever other 
benefits the guarantee to an accused that his trial be 
conducted in public may confer upon our society, the 
guarantee has always been recognized as a safeguard 
against any attempt to employ our courts as instru-
ments of persecution. The knowledge that every crimi-
nal trial is subject to contemporaneous review in the 
forum of public opinion is an effective restraint on 
possible abuse of judicial power.’’. 
(b) AUTHORITY
OF PRESIDING JUDGE
TO ALLOW 
MEDIA COVERAGE OF COURT PROCEEDINGS.— 
(1) AUTHORITY OF APPELLATE COURTS.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of law, the pre-
siding judge of an appellate court of the United 
States may, in his or her discretion, permit the 
photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or 
televising to the public of court proceedings over 
which that judge presides. 
(2) AUTHORITY OF DISTRICT COURTS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, any presiding judge of a 
district court of the United States may, in his or 
her discretion, permit the photographing, elec-
tronic recording, broadcasting, or televising to
the public of court proceedings over which that 
judge presides. 
(B) OBSCURING
OF
WITNESSES
AND
JU-
RORS.—(i) Upon the request of any witness 
(other than a party) or a juror in a trial pro-
ceeding, the court shall order the face and voice 
of the witness or juror (as the case may be) to 
be disguised or otherwise obscured in such man-
ner as to render the witness or juror unrecogniz-
able to the broadcast audience of the trial pro-
ceeding. 
(ii) The presiding judge in a trial pro-
ceeding shall inform— 
(I) each witness who is not a party 
that the witness has the right to request that 
his or her image and voice be obscured dur-
ing the witness’ testimony; and 
(II) each juror that the juror has the 
right to request that his or her image be ob-
scured during the trial proceeding. 
(3) ADVISORY GUIDELINES.—The Judicial Con-
ference of the United States is authorized to promul-
gate advisory guidelines to which a presiding judge, 
in his or her discretion, may refer in making deci-
sions with respect to the management and adminis-
tration of photographing, recording, broadcasting, or 
televising described in paragraphs (1) and (2). 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) PRESIDING
JUDGE.—The term ‘‘presiding 
judge’’ means the judge presiding over the court pro-
ceeding concerned. In proceedings in which more than 
one judge participates, the presiding judge shall be the 
senior active judge so participating or, in the case of 
a circuit court of appeals, the senior active circuit 
judge so participating, except that— 
(A) in en banc sittings of any United States 
circuit court of appeals, the presiding judge shall 
be the chief judge of the circuit whenever the 
chief judge participates; and 
(B) in en banc sittings of the Supreme 
Court of the United States, the presiding judge 
shall be the Chief Justice whenever the Chief Jus-
tice participates. 
(2) 
APPELLATE
COURT
OF
THE
UNITED 
STATES.—The term ‘‘appellate court of the United 
States’’ means any United States circuit court of ap-
peals and the Supreme Court of the United States. 
(d) SUNSET.—The authority under subsection (b)(2) 
shall terminate on the date that is 3 years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.