Federal judges in the Northern District of California have asked to join a pilot project that would allow video recordings of civil trials under certain circumstances.
The project, approved in September by the U.S. Judicial Council, would permit cameras in the courtroom for later posting on the Internet if the judge and both sides of the case agree. Thirteen of the Northern District’s 18 judges said they would participate, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Northern District Chief Judge James Ware said he wanted to balance the public’s interest in transparency with protections for the parties’ privacy.
No start date for the pilot project, which would involve up to 150 federal judges, has been announced.