Judge: If media wanted me to OK video cameras in Detroit bankruptcy case, I would have
As Detroit’s record-breaking municipal bankruptcy case unfolded and public officials testified, citizens obviously had an interest in hearing what they had to say in court.
So a former federal judge who was in charge of the case probably would have allowed news media to use video cameras, if media organizations had asked to do so, he said at a Wednesday breakfast event.
That wouldn’t have been the end of the matter: Because cameras have traditionally been forbidden in the federal courts, the issue would have required approval from higher authority, reports the Detroit Free Press.
However, the tide could be turning: Over a dozen federal courts are taking part in a pilot project to allow proceedings to be recorded digitally, as the U.S. Courts web page details, and former U.S. District Court Judge Steven Rhodes and a colleague suggested that the time could have been right to file a test case.
Chief Judge Gerald Rosen of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan served as lead mediator for the Detroit bankruptcy case and said at the same breakfast meeting that he also thought recording the proceedings would have been a good thing to do.
“I didn’t feel it was my place to tell them to file a lawsuit to complicate his life,” Rosen said of his conversations with media representatives, gesturing to Rhodes. “But I certainly made it clear that this might be an opportunity for a ruling.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Federal judge OKs Detroit bankruptcy, says city can cut pensions for retirees”
ABAJournal.com: “Judge OKs $178M in Detroit bankruptcy professional fees; Jones Day gets $58M”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Cameras Go Untested in Columbus Federal Court Because of Lack of Litigant Interest; Do Viewers Care?”
