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Saturday, July 08, 2006

Ind. Courts - Both Fort Wayne papers report on cameras in local courtroom

From Jeff White of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, a report that begins:

It was a day in court like any other, except Allen Superior Judge Nancy Boyer decided to don the black robe.

Most of the time when she sees a hearing on the schedule like the one she had Friday – where an insurance plaintiff files a motion for her to give a summary judgment – Boyer said she’d probably be just fine without the robe. As she reclined at her desk afterward in her office, she said maybe she’d wear a suit instead of the Hawaiian-print shirt she had on, but she only breaks out the robe during jury trials.

But unlike any other day in court, there were cameras watching her every move.

The 9 a.m. Illinois National vs. Dean Chaffee and Michael Day motion hearing was the first in Allen County to be taped and photographed by the media.

Boyer is one of eight judges across the state participating in an 18-month pilot program authorized by the Indiana State Supreme Court to see how media cameras affect proceedings in trial courtrooms.

As part of the program, Boyer, who is a civil judge and the only one in Allen County participating, said both parties of a case and their lawyers have to give consent before cameras can enter the courtroom. Since July 1, when the program began, she has asked lawyers in 10 of her upcoming cases if they would consent to having cameras present.

Only the lawyers in the National Illinois case agreed.

“If 90 percent of parties in litigation don’t want cameras in the courtroom, I think that’s going to tell the Supreme Court something,” Boyer said. “If the Supreme Court of Indiana views that 90 percent of the public doesn’t want cameras in courtroom if it’s them, I think it’s another factor the Supreme Court needs to consider.”

From Dionne Waugh of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, a report, complete with photos taken i the courtroom, begins:
Allen Superior Court Judge Nancy Boyer doesn’t always wear her robe to court.

If the case involves a jury or a serious matter, she will.

On Friday she had another reason.

Boyer’s court was selected as one of eight in the state to participate in an 18-month pilot program allowing news photographers and TV cameras in the courtroom during proceedings.

“I had on my Hawaiian shirt today,” she said. “I wore my robe to be more formal.”

Boyer, a civil division judge who handles cases such as lawsuits and contract disagreements, said the new visitors initially made it difficult to concentrate.

“At the beginning it was hard for me to focus just because it was a new thing,” she said. “I heard the clicks from the still camera. I guess it’s just something you get used to.”

Friday marked the first hearing in which attorneys on both sides agreed to allow the cameras, a provision of the pilot program. Since the program started last week, attorneys in nine other cases have said no.

According to the Radio and Television News Directors Association and Foundation, Indiana is among 15 states with the most restrictive court access in the country.

The Indiana Supreme Court voted 3-2 this year to proceed with the pilot program – one video camera, one still camera and up to three tape recorders in the courtroom at a time. Media must also share coverage and be approved in advance. The justices have said that they hope the pilot program will educate the public about what goes on inside the court. It will last until the end of 2007.

Fort Wayne attorney Michael Loomis, who argued his case during Friday’s hearing, said he likes the openness of having cameras in the courtroom and that it was a good idea for citizens to have access through the media.

He said once the hearing began, he didn’t even notice the cameras.

“I likened the experience to playing in a game and seeing your parents in the audience,” Loomis said. “You know they’re there, but you forget about it as it goes on.”

Both stories are worth reading in full, the Journal-Gazette has the photos, but the News-Sentinel points out the very interesting 90% turndown rate in the program's initial days.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 8, 2006 10:04 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts