ST. PAUL, Minn. – Under news media pressure, the Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to consider permanently allowing cameras in courtrooms. A hearing is scheduled next week. At issue is an American Bar Association ban — Canon 35 in the ABA ethics code. The ban was created after circus-like excesses in media coverage of the 1932 Lindbergh kidnaping trial. In recent years there has been a trend away from Canon 35. Iowa, Wisconsin and North Dakota, for example, allow photographers in courtrooms. In Minnesota state courts the canon remains in place, although a judge can make an exception. A notable exception was the 2021 Minneapolis murder trial of police officer Derek Chauvin. Judge Peter Cahill bent Canon 35 in an acknowledgement of keen public interest. Nutshells of core now before the state Supreme Court arguments:
Verbatim
Willliam Ward, chief state public defender: “Justice should not be a spectator sport and should not be something that’s sensationalized in the news media.”
Verbatim
Joe Spear, Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists: “The presence of a camera doesn’t change the truth. It only shines more light.”