The Indiana Broadcasters Association want to keep all Hoosier broadcasters informed about the pilot project for cameras in the courtroom. Please read the below memo and linked resources from IBA general counsel Dan Byron
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As explained at our Annual Board Meeting of October 26, 2021, the Indiana Supreme Court has determined that it will authorize another Cameras in the Courtroom Pilot Project for the State of Indiana starting December 1, 2021, and ending March 31, 2022. In that connection the Supreme Court has named five specific judges around the State to have primary authority to open their trial courtrooms for filming.
On November 15 the Supreme Court issued a Press Release and an Order with terms for the media to follow with regard to their filming any hearing or trial. This link here will give you the Press Release, the Order of the Court and its Terms for the media to follow.
Further detail is covered in this October 25, 2021 memo I wrote giving an update as to the status of the project. Then on November 29, 2021, I gave further information as to what our radio and television stations need to do in order to participate. Read the November 29 memo here.
Earlier, between November 2 and November 8, 2021 members of our team of attorneys from Dentons Bingham Greenebaum met by Zoom with the 5 specific judges involved and thereafter received basic information sheets of one page, including e-mails and phone numbers on the attorneys, media entities involved, and the Judges and their personnel. These Dentons Attorney Team Members for this Pilot Project are available to answer questions and are in alphabetical order as follows: Megan Brian (Evansville), Dan Byron (Indianapolis), Margaret (Meg) Christensen (Indianapolis), Katie Dickey Jackson (Indianapolis), Scott Leisz (Indianapolis), and Brad Maurer (Indianapolis). These Basic Information Sheets can be found here. The Judges all said that they encouraged the media to contact their offices to learn of cases that they may want to cover and we encourage this also.
Finally, there is a Request Form to be completed by any media source that might want to cover a particular hearing or trial. This Request Form can be found here and needs to be filled out and then e-mailed to the specific Judge who may be involved. While the Judge has 48 hours to approve or disapprove the request, they all said that their intent is to move on any request in rapid fashion and, for the most part, try to approve any such application. Thus we are encouraged by our meetings with the Judges that this time we will have an evaluation and enough cases filmed in four months to give us a positive result.
