Bill > S1133

This bill, known as the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2025, aims to provide media coverage of federal court proceedings by giving presiding judges the discretion to permit photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising of court proceedings in both appellate and district courts. For appellate courts, the presiding judge can allow media coverage unless it would violate the due process rights of any party. For district courts, similar provisions apply, with additional protections for witnesses: upon request, a witness's face and voice can be obscured, and jurors cannot be photographed or recorded. The bill requires the Judicial Conference of the United States to develop mandatory guidelines for protecting vulnerable witnesses, such as crime victims, minors, and undercover law enforcement officers. Judges retain significant discretion in managing media coverage, including the ability to obscure individuals' identities if their safety or the integrity of legal proceedings could be compromised. The district court media coverage provisions have a sunset clause of three years, and any decision about media coverage cannot be challenged through an interlocutory appeal. The bill also stipulates that media conferences between attorneys and clients shall not be broadcast, and courts may require that media accommodations be made without public expense.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1133/all-info