Skip to content

Special Sunshine Week event: Expert panel to discuss improving transparency at the Supreme Court

Post categories

  1. Announcements
Update: Watch the panel online via C-SPAN. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and NYU-Washington announced today that…

Update: Watch the panel online via C-SPAN.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and NYU-Washington announced today that they will host an engaging and participatory discussion during Sunshine Week on transparency at the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, March 21, 9:30-11:00 a.m., at NYU’s Constance Milstein and Family Global Academic Center, 1307 L St. NW in Washington.

Supreme Court experts, a former clerk for Justice Scalia and a civic technology specialist will consider why the justices are reluctant to open the court to cameras and streaming audio, especially as hidden recording devices are becoming harder to detect. The panel will debate ways the court could modernize – from improving its online offerings to being more transparent regarding justices’ finances, health, public events and recusals.

Attendees will have the opportunity to do more than listen: in “The SCOTUS Booth of Truth” they can record a short video telling the justices directly what types of pro-transparency policies should be implemented. The video will be posted online and sent to the court.

The event, titled “Supreme Sunshine: Shining a Light on the High Court,” is part of Sunshine Week, a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

RSVP for this event at http://www.nyu.edu/rsvp/event.php?e_id=4811.

WHAT: Supreme Sunshine: Shining a Light on the High Court

WHEN: Friday, March 21, 2014, 9:30–11:00 a.m. (breakfast at 9:30; panel to begin at 9:50)

WHERE: NYU’s Constance Milstein and Family Global Academic Center, 1307 L Street NW, Washington, D.C.

WHO: Moderator: Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Supreme Court reporter. Panelists: Bruce Brown, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press executive director; William Jay, Goodwin Procter partner and former Justice Scalia law clerk; Clay Johnson, CEO of the Department of Better Technology and Blue State Digital founder; Eric Segall, Georgia State University School of Law professor; and Sonja West, University of Georgia School of Law professor and former former Justice Stevens law clerk.

Contact:

NYU-Washington, D.C., events, nyuwashingtondcevents@nyu.edu, 202-654-8300

Debra Gersh Hernandez, Reporters Committee, dghernandez@rcfp.org, 703-807-2104

Stay informed by signing up for our mailing list

Keep up with our work by signing up to receive our monthly newsletter. We'll send you updates about the cases we're doing with journalists, news organizations, and documentary filmmakers working to keep you informed.