S. 1146 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Mar 26, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRequires Supreme Court to allow TV cameras
Right now, the Supreme Court doesn't allow television cameras in its courtrooms. This bill would change that by requiring the Court to permit TV coverage of all its public sessions, with one exception: the Court could decide by majority vote to ban cameras in a specific case if it believes TV coverage would violate someone's right to a fair trial.
How it affects you
For most people, this means you'd be able to watch Supreme Court proceedings live on television instead of only reading about them or seeing limited clips. Lawyers and people involved in cases before the Court might see their proceedings broadcast to the public, though the Court could still block cameras if it determines coverage would be unfair to them.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Mar 26, 2025)
Cameras in the Courtroom Act
This bill requires the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open sessions of the Court unless it decides by majority vote that allowing such coverage in a particular case would violate the due process rights of any of the parties before the Court.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 1146
A BILL
Cameras in the Courtroom Act
Sponsor: Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) · Introduced Mar 26, 2025 · Law · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jun 23, 2026: “Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 445.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 2 official versions.