Utah

The Utah Supreme Court on Monday approved a rule that will allow journalists to tweet, live stream and blog from the courtroom for the first time in the state's history.

The rule, which goes into effect April 1, permits the media to use laptops, cell phones and cameras in court and makes Utah’s notoriously restrictive courtrooms some of the most accessible.

The Utah Judicial Council unanimously approved measures on Monday that moves video coverage of civil and criminal trial proceedings one step closer to reality. If the changes to state court procedures are adopted, Utah would be propelled from one of the most restrictive states to one of the most open and accessible, in terms of electronic coverage of state courts.

The fight surrounding an amendment to Utah’s open government law ended Friday when the state legislature passed a bill that officially repeals the controversial measure H.B. 477, but the future of Utah's records law remains uncertain.

Legislators passed H.B. 1001 Friday during a special session called by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert. H.B. 1001 repeals H.B. 477, and allows the state to restart the process of amending Utah's open records laws.

Utah's governor called for the repeal and replacement of a controversial open government law Monday, saying that signing it “resulted in a loss of public confidence,” yet some open government advocates said it was simply a political move.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed into law Tuesday night a bill that amends the state's open records law to allow for more government privacy. The controversial House Bill 477 moved swiftly through the Utah Legislature late last week, but was recalled by the Senate on Monday to delay the date it goes into effect due to pressure from the governor, citizens and transparency advocacy groups.