Cameras in the Courtroom

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Exigence:

It is the year 2001. John Smith is on trial in a federal court for his attempt to set off a homemade nuclear device. Although his bomb did not reach critical mass, radiation from the "fizzle" he produced has already killed several thousand people in Kansas City. There is some evidence that Smith intended to explode his bomb as a protest against what he saw as the dismantling of the Social Security system.

The Universal Broadcast Network (UBN) files a request with the trial court to place a television camera in the courtroom. The camera will be small, be placed in an inconspicuous location, will be operated remotely and so on. Attorneys for both Smith and the U.S. object. The trial judge issues an order barring television and all other cameras from the courtroom. UBN appeals; the case is now pending before the Supreme Court.

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