Here it’s a contempt of court to take photos or make sketches inside the courtroom.
Where’s “here” for you?
England.
Thanks, mate!
Why can’t they change the rule? Given all the advances in making cameras unobtrusive to the point of invisibility, is there an actual reason, or just the same kind of reason that keeps English judges in wigs?
Cameras in the OJ Simpson trial have kept cameras out of Canadian courtrooms ever since, in my opinion. The media circus in the courtroom confirmed all the reasons for not allowing them in.
Well, the rules are changing. Slowly. There are state courts that televise all trials, and others (like Washington) where you can ask and it’s usually granted.
The Federal courts have allowed zoom trials and now routinely hold zoom hearings (although typically participation is limited to the parties involved, and no recording is allowed).
The fear of a “circus” probably overblown, since the participants are really focused on what’s happening in the courtroom. You basically forget about the cameras after a day or two of trial.
Law is, by definition, a deeply conservative field (not in the political sense).