Cameras in Courtroom Legislation Advanced by Senate Committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced two bipartisan bills that would allow cameras in federal courtrooms, including for Supreme Court sessions.

The panel advanced the legislation by voice vote Thursday, sending the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2025 and the Cameras in the Courtroom Act to the full Senate for consideration.

The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act would give judges on federal appellate and district courts discretion to allow televised, photographed, and recorded criminal proceedings. The Cameras in the Courtroom Act would require the Supreme Court to allow televised sessions in hearings open to the public.

Federal trial court judges are prohibited from broadcasting criminal proceedings under judiciary rules, but they may audio stream some civil and bankruptcy proceedings. Federal appeals courts and the Supreme Court also offer live audio streaming of their arguments.

The judiciary ultimately has decided not to pursue proposals to permit some broadcasting of criminal cases, and previous legislation to broaden remote access to those hearings has failed to clear Congress.

Previous efforts for similar bills that date back to at least 2007 in the House of Representatives and 1999 in Senate have stalled. Though, interest in courtroom transparency has garnered more attention in recent years.

Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the panel’s top Democrat, are primary sponsors of the effort. Other committee supporters of the bills include Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas).

The measures include provisions that would allow courts to restrict livestreams, if airing proceedings might affect due process rights.

Grassley said the transparency bills are “common sense” and “it’s long overdue.”