The Indiana Supreme Court is lifting the state’s ban on cameras for trials and other hearings in county courts.
An order issued Wednesday will give local judges the option of allowing the media to broadcast, record or take photos of court proceedings. The new rules go into effect on May 1.
Cameras were first allowed in state Supreme Court hearings in 1996 and those proceedings began streaming online a few years later. But previous attempts to convince officials to allow cameras in lower courts failed to win approval before five local judges launched a four-month pilot project in December.
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Indiana is lifting its ban on cameras inside the courtroom in order to broadcast. The new rules will go into effect on May 1.
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“This is the culmination of years of work and pilot projects with discussion and evaluation,” Chief Justice Loretta Rush said in a statement. “Trial court judges are in the best position to determine how to balance the importance of transparency and protect the rights of individuals involved in a judicial matter.”
The Supreme Court order limits the use of cameras and recordings to media personnel and prohibits images of victims of violent crimes, minors, jurors and witnesses with security concerns.
