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Cameras in the Court

  • November 13, 2015 | Practice News
    Pension case oral arguments to be streamed online

    The oral argument in the Chicago municipal and laborers pension law matter will be heard by the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 17, 2015.

    Mary J. Jones, et al. v. Municipal Employees' Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago, et al. is the third of four cases set for argument on November 17 at the Supreme Court Building at 200 East Capitol Avenue in Springfield. The first argument will begin at 9 a.m.

    The argument in Jones will be captured by multiple high-definition cameras installed in the Courtroom and streamed live by Advanced Digital Media, Inc./ Blueroomstream.com.

    Under Supreme Court rules, Advanced Digital Media applied for and was granted permission to serve as the media pool for the argument.
    The live stream will be available at https://livestream.com/blueroomstream/events/4484348.

    Audio and video of the argument will also be available later on November 17 on the Illinois Supreme Court's website at www.illinoiscourts.gov/Media/On_Demand.asp.

    For members of the media who plan to attend the argument in person, please be aware that seating within the Courtroom is limited and there is no reserved seating. Auxiliary seating is available in a room adjacent to the second floor Courtroom, where the argument will be streamed on a monitor for viewing.

  • February 2, 2015 | Practice News
    Attorneys encouraged to attend cameras in the courtroom presentation

    Now that media cameras may be appearing in certain courtrooms at 26th and California under the new Extended Media Coverage pilot program, attorneys will want to attend the informational presentation, “Courtroom Cameras Pilot Program – Guidelines for Participants.”

    The presentation is scheduled for Thursday, February 5, 2015, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Jury Assembly Room of the Leighton Criminal Court Administration Building, 2650 S. California Ave., 3rd floor and is hosted by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Presiding Judge Paul P. Biebel, Jr.

    The February 5 event will discuss the nuts and bolts of the court’s EMC Pilot Program which permits the use of media cameras and audio recording devices in Criminal Division courtrooms at Leighton an experimental, case by case basis. Included among the topics that attorneys will learn about are who may object to EMC, which types of proceedings are prohibited and who the participants are.

    The presenter for “Courtroom Cameras Pilot Program – Guidelines for Participants” is Stephen Brandt, Acting Director of Legal Research for the Office of the Chief Judge. The presentation is open to all attorneys practicing in the Criminal Division courtrooms at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

    To reserve a seat, please call or email Rose Mary Marasso at (312) 603-6553 and rosemary.marasso@cookcountyil.gov. For information on the courtroom cameras pilot program, go to www.cookcountycourt.org, select “Media” then “Extended Media Coverage.”

  • January 5, 2015 | Practice News
    Cameras in courtroom pilot program begins in Cook County

    Effective today, January 5, 2015, requests for extended media coverage may be filed for cases in the Criminal Division courtrooms at the Georg N. Leighton Criminal Court Building located at 2600 South California Avenue in Chicago.

    Interested news media organizations shall send all camera requests to the media coordinator, Bob Graves, Illinois Photo Editor for the Associate Press, at: cookcountymedia@gmail.com.

    Requests will be considered on a case by case basis by the judge assigned to the case.

    For complete information on how the Extended Media Coverage Pilot Program works, including guidelines and restrictions, go to www.cookcountycourt.org, select “Media” and “Extended Media Coverage.”

  • September 13, 2013 | Practice News
    Supreme Court approves cameras for courts in six Eastern Illinois counties

    Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride of the Illinois Supreme Court and Chief Judge Dan L. Flannell of the Sixth Judicial Circuit announced on Friday that news cameras will be allowed in trial courts in six additional Illinois counties.

    The Sixth Judicial Circuit is comprised of Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Macon, Moultrie and Piatt counties in east central Illinois. With today's announcement, total participation in the pilot project rises to 35 counties within 13 judicial Circuits.

    “Cameras and microphones in the courtroom now reach citizens in more than one half of the judicial circuits and one third of the counties in Illinois," Chief Justice Kilbride said. "Chief Judge Flannell's application and approval by the Supreme Court to allow cameras in the trial courtrooms will bring more geographical diversity to the pilot project.