Maryland Appeals Court to Webcast

The Maryland Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state, will provide live webcasts of its proceedings, "hoping to be ready in time to broadcast arguments set for Dec. 4 in a high-profile case involving gay marriage," according to an Associated Press agency story reprinted in the Hoston Chronicle on Nov. 27, 2006.

Maryland will thus join other U.S. states. The newspaper story explains that "(A)bout half of the appellate state courts (...) allow coverage of hearings on the Web or on cable channels".

Related Library Boy posts include:

• Report on TV Cameras in Ontario Courtrooms (August 24, 2006): "A report released today by Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant recommends that cameras be allowed in some courts in the province. This would include TV cameras. The list of Courts would cover the Ontario Court of Appeal and lower courts where no witnesses would be examined."
• US and Canadian Supreme Court Transcripts (September 15, 2006): "The beSpacific blog pointed yesterday to a press release from the United States Supreme Court that explains that our neighbour's highest court 'will make the transcripts of oral arguments available free to the public on its Web site (...) on the same day an argument is heard by the Court.'... Here at the Supreme Court of Canada, courtroom proceedings are televised by the Canadian Parliamentary Affairs Channel (CPAC)."
• UK Courts to Accept TV Cameras (November 14, 2006): "Proposals that could lead to television cameras being installed in courts could soon be set out by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, head of the judiciary.... (U)nder relaxed rules, court proceedings that could be televised include: appeals; civil proceedings — opening and closing arguments, judge’s ruling; Crown Court trials— opening speeches, closing speeches, judges’ summing up, passing of sentence; appeals in family cases but not those involving children. A consultation paper should be ready by Christmas."
• Report on Televising U.S. Supreme Court and Other Federal Court Proceedings (November 29, 2006): "The Federation of American Scientists has made available on its website a report by the Congressional Research Service entitled Televising Supreme Court and Other Federal Court Proceedings: Legislation and Issues... The Judicial Conference of the United States prohibits the televising, recording, and broadcasting of district trial (civil and criminal) court proceedings. Under conference policy, each court of appeals may permit television and other electronic media coverage of its proceedings. Only two of the 13 courts of appeals, the Second and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals, have chosen to do so. Although legislation to allow camera coverage of the Supreme Court and other federal court proceedings has been introduced in the current and previous Congresses, none has been enacted"