INDIANAPOLIS — News organizations will be allowed to bring cameras inside Indiana courtrooms for proceedings starting in May as long as a judge approves it.
Starting May 1, an order amending Rule 2.17 will go into effect and will give the discretion to allow cameras to local judges.
The rule only allows news media to be authorized by a judge to bring cameras into court proceedings.
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Minors and jurors won’t be allowed to be shown on camera.
“This is the culmination of years of work and pilot projects with discussion and evaluation,” Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush said in a news release. “Trial court judges are in the best position to determine how to balance the importance of transparency while protecting the rights of people involved in a court matter.”
A judge can revoke the authorization at any time.
The Rules on Access to Court Records govern what types of court proceedings and records are confidential and, therefore, not for public access, Brown County Judge Mary Wertz said last week.
Confidential cases include most juvenile delinquency cases (JD an JS case designations), and all child in need of services and termination of parental rights cases (JC and JT case designations), all mental health cases (MH case designation), and investigative requests and process unrelated to a pending criminal proceeding (some MC cases).
Wertz said she has not yet written a policy regarding the ruling, however she reiterated that the new rule only applies to news media.
The general public is still always prohibited from taking photos and recording during court proceedings.
