NYT editorial supports press pass for SCOTUSblog, says biggest user is Supreme Court
A reporters’ committee should reconsider its decision to deny a press pass to SCOTUSblog, according to a New York Times editorial.
The U.S. Supreme Court traditionally defers to decisions by the Senate’s Standing Committee of Correspondents when issuing press passes, and the committee has denied a press pass because SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein is a lawyer who appears before the Supreme Court. The committee viewed such appearances as lobbying, and said SCOTUSblog is not independent from Goldstein’s law firm.
The New York Times calls that reasoning “tenuous at best.” Litigation is not the same as lobbying, the newspaper says, and Goldstein is keeping the blog independent from his law firm’s work.
The newspaper points out that on Monday, as the U.S. Supreme Court issued its last rulings this term, SCOTUSblog had 60,000 visitors who were following its coverage.
SCOTUSblog’s importance “is demonstrated by its audience,” the Times says, “which is not just top journalists and members of the public. According to the site’s internal data, Scotusblog’s single biggest user is the Supreme Court itself.”
Hat tip to How Appealing.
