Opening federal courtrooms to electronic news coverage would re-create the public square atmosphere that the framers of the U.S. Constitution envisioned in the 18th century, a Buffalo-based First Amendment expert told a subcommittee of the House of Representatives.

Mickey H. Osterreicher, general counsel for the 7,000-member National Press Photographers Association, appeared before the House judiciary panel considering a Sunshine in the Courtroom bill to open federal courts to the same electronic coverage that now exists in state and local courts.

Osterreicher argued that the framers envisioned an openness of the judicial system as a means of assuring the integrity of our system of justice.

He told the panel that while the Internet has expanded the ability of the print media to cover courts, full electronic coverage of federal court proceedings will bring transparency to the system, provide increased accountability from litigants, judges and the press and educate citizens about the judicial process and assure the public that judicial proceedings are conducted fairly and that government systems are working correctly.

Electronic media equipment now is inaudible, requires no flashes or extra lights that would interfere with court proceedings and can be operated by a limited number of trained professionals, Osterreicher said.

In 2014, electronic coverage is the unblinking eye of the public and to deny its unrivaled potential to convey information instantly and to the widest audience is to deny reality, he told the panel.

Osterreicher conceded that most courtroom proceedings, especially in the average civil case, do not make for compelling viewing and are more like watching paint dry. He also noted that while courtroom artists have greatly contributed to the coverage of courtroom proceedings in the absence of cameras, they are something more akin to cave drawings in an age of high-definition television.

Osterreicher is currently a counsel to the Buffalo law office of Hiscock & Barclays Media & First Amendment Law Practice Area. He was an award-winning photographer for the former Buffalo Courier-Express and a photographer, reporter and producer for WKBW-TV. He is also a former director of legal affairs for the Erie County Department of Social Services.

email: mgryta@buffnews.com

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House panel urged to open federal courts to electronic coverage