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Herald Editorial Board

Bob Bolerjack,
Opinion Editor
bolerjack@heraldnet.com

Carol MacPherson,
Editorial Writer
cmacpherson@
heraldnet.com


Allen Funk,
Herald Publisher
funk@heraldnet.com

Kim Heltne,
Assistant to the Publisher
heltne@heraldnet.com

Send letters to the editor by e-mail to letters@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-339-3458 or mail to The Herald - Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Wednesday
Gregoire unveils budget with deep cuts, will pr...
Sultan brothers plead guilty in death of rival ...
Bikini coffee stands to be regulated as adult e...
Tuesday


Arlington brothers’ fight led to death, p...
Burn ban issued in Snohomish County
Woman found dead at Bothell house fire
Monday


Pearl Harbor's voices of the past
Taxes needed to close state's growing deficit?
Grant could help county's residents all be heal...
Sunday


Swine flu lingers, making traditional flu seaso...
Two vie to serve as Snohomish County prosecutor
Families get an early gift: free Christmas trees
Saturday


Gift charity draws Snohomish County families in...
Fears over commercial air service at Paine Fiel...
Donated safe gives Marysville museum a mystery
Friday


From behind bars, pal tells Colton Harris-Moore...
Commercial airlines would cause few problems at...
Fund set up to benefit children of couple kille...
Thursday


5 die of swine flu in Snohomish County
Red Cross honors acts of heroism, many by ordin...
Barista clothing rules delayed by County Council
 

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Published: Wednesday, July 1, 2009

MUST-SEE PROCEEDINGS

Shine lights on high court

When Senate confirmation hearings on Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court begin July 13, many court watchers will be anxious to hear whether she favors televising the high court's oral arguments.

We hope she does.

Sotomayor has likely given the question some thought, since she sits on a federal judicial committee that's considering whether judges in lower courts should have the discretion to permit video cameras in the courtroom for some civil, non-jury cases.

Based on comments current Supreme Court justices have made about televising oral arguments on C-SPAN, at least some of them are deeply skeptical. None of their public comments, however, have matched the certitude of Justice David Souter's view. If a TV camera ever were allowed before the Supreme Court, he said, it would have to "roll over my dead body."

Fortunately, now that Justice Souter has retired -- Monday was his final day on the bench -- that scene can remain forever figurative.

Televising the approximately 75, one-hour oral arguments the court hears each year would cast welcome light on perhaps the most important yet least understood branch of the federal government. It could inspire countless future attorneys and judges (Sotomayor has said she was inspired in her youth by episodes of "Perry Mason").

It could also go a long way toward enhancing the public's trust and confidence in the entire judiciary. If it led to greater use of cameras in trial courts -- as long as individual judges retain the authority to shut them off when appropriate -- so much the better.

Some sitting justices worry that introducing TV cameras to their proceedings will change the dynamic of oral arguments, and might upset the court's current collegiality.

To the first concern, we doubt if justices themselves would be tempted to play to the camera, given that they already have a lifetime appointment and therefore no career incentive to do so. And attorneys arguing before the high court understand that they have to persuade the nine justices before them, not TV viewers.

As to collegiality, that gets thrown out the window in sharply-worded dissents, anyway. These are the final arbiters of the U.S. Constitution, after all, not members of the local Rotary.

Besides, our state's Supreme Court conducted its first televised proceeding -- a death penalty case -- back in 1995. TVW's regular court coverage since then hasn't turned our justices into on-air prima donnas.

The nation's judiciary shouldn't be shrouded in mystery. It's time to lift the curtains, and Sotomayor should seize this opportunity to start pulling the cords.

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1. Teen dies after Granite Falls crash
2. Bikini coffee stands to be regulated as adult entertainment
3. Sultan brothers plead guilty in death of rival gang member
4. Body found after house catches fire north of Bothell
5. Gregoire unveils budget with deep cuts, will press for tax hikes
6. Grief and gratitude expressed for four slain officers
7. Two teenagers hurt in crash near Granite Falls
8. Friends and family honor Clearview couple who loved always
9. Roe appointed interim county prosecutor
10. Arlington's budget is ‘bare bones'
Enterprise Newspaper Snohomish County Business Journal
Zambian woman thanks students for their help
Food banks see rise in use
‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds
Wolfpack takes aim at state
Seahawks help students smile
95 and still volunteering
Sno-King joined by local TV king
Veterans back for Wildcats
Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap
The Enterprise Online Newspaper


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