Don't Shut Americans out; the Weak Case against Televising Supreme Court Oral Arguments

Byline: Nat Hentoff, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

During a March 28 C-SPAN series, "America and the Courts," Justices Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas were seen insisting that it is vital to their relationships with one another on the Court that Congress not mandate TV coverage of their oral arguments because that (Justice Kennedy actually said) would introduce an "insidious dynamic" into the proceedings. Informing "We the People" is insidious?

On that C-SPAN program, in excerpts from the Kennedy-Thomas testimony before a House committee, Justice Kennedy sternly lectured that Congress should not legislate this intrusion into a key process in how and why they make their decisions, which affect so many of us. He explained: "We teach that we're judged by what …

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Publication information: Article title: Don't Shut Americans out; the Weak Case against Televising Supreme Court Oral Arguments. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Washington Times (Washington, DC). Publication date: April 14, 2008. Page number: A17. © 2009 The Washington Times LLC. COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale Group.

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