Cameras in the Courtroom: Television and the Pursuit of Justice

by Marjorie Cohn, David Dow

Overview

Do cameras influence courtroom proceedings? What effect, if any, do they have on trial participants? What implications do televised trials have on due process? Why have the courts, including the Supreme Court, traditionally excluded cameras? What, in short, is the future of the camera in the courtroom? Through interviews with numerous legal scholars, judges, attorneys, defendants, jurors, witnesses, and journalists, these questions and many others are thoroughly examined.

The impact of the cameras in several high-profile trials is analyzed, as are a number of cases in which cameras were excluded. A look at Court TV provides an instructive overview of the good and bad of television coverage. Includes an updated preface and a new introduction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786466078
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	04/29/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	203
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Marjorie Cohn is a professor of law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. David Dow is a retired CBS News correspondent who covered both O.J. Simpson trials, the Rodney King trials, and many others.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments    
Preface    

1 The Simpson Legacy    
2 Cameras Through the Years    
3 Is the Televised Trial a Fair Trial?    
4 Does a “Public Trial” Mean a Televised Trial?    
5 Do Cameras Change the Process?    
6 Two Trials: Trial by Jury and the Court of Public Opinion    
7 States’ Rights    
8 The Federal Case    
9 Court TV    
10 Some Camera (and Trial) Saving Alternatives    
11 Cameras—Now and in the Future    

List of Persons Interviewed    
Chapter Notes    
Index    

Editorial Reviews

a concise, readable overview...very useful”—Choice; “belongs on the shelf of every criminal defense lawyer. It’s the most balanced, comprehensive treatment available of every contentious issue surrounding this debate...a unique blend of historical insight, practical experience, and academic rigor”—California Attorneys for Criminal Justice; “details the often tense relationship between the First and Sixth amendments”—Los Angeles Daily Journal; “investigates the influence of televised courtroom proceedings on trial participants, as well as the related implications for due process”—Criminal Justice Abstracts; “The best book yet about cameras in the courtroom. Meticulously researched and engagingly written.”—Erwin Chemerinsky, professor of law, University of Southern California Law School; “A rare combination of a must-have resource book and an easy read.”—Fred Graham, managing editor, Court TV. “Indispensable.”—Linda Deutsch, special correspondent, Associated Press; “The definitive work.”—Laurie L. Levenson, associate dean for academic affairs, Loyola Law School.

From the Publisher

details the often tense relationship between the First and Sixth amendments

Los Angeles Daily Journal

belongs on the shelf of every criminal defense lawyer. It's the most balanced, comprehensive treatment available of every contentious issue surrounding this debate...a unique blend of historical insight, practical experience, and academic rigor

California Attorneys for Criminal Justice

a concise, readable overview...very useful

Choice

The text is a quick and fascinating read and will serve to generate terrific discussions if used in undergradaute seminars. For academics and practioners, this text will allow for a brief introduction to the leading pertinent issues of televised trials.
— David N. Khey, University of Florida, Gainesville

Criminal Justice Review