,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #iag  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #bh1 #bjac 
,mr4 ,king of ,iowa 7for himself1 ,mr4  
,chaffetz1 ,ms4 ,lofgren1 and ,mr4      
,deutch7 introduced the following bill2 
which was referred to the ,committee on 
the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill  ,to provide  
for media coverage of ,federal court    
proceedings4  #a4 ,short title ,this    
,act may be cited as the ,sunshine in   
the ,courtroom ,act of #bjac4  #b4      
,federal appellate and district courts  
7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3  7#a7
 ,presiding judge ,the term presiding   
judge means the judge presiding over the
 court proceeding concerned4 ,in        
proceedings in which more than #a judge 
participates1 the presiding judge shall 
be the senior active judge so           
participating or1 in the case of a      
circuit court of appeals1 the senior    
active circuit judge so participating1  
except that--  7,a7 in en banc sittings 
of any ,united ,states circuit court of 

appeals1 the presiding judge shall be   
the chief judge of the circuit whenever 
the chief judge participates2 and  7,b7 
in en banc sittings of the ,supreme     
,court of the ,united ,states1 the      
presiding judge shall be the ,chief     
,justice whenever the ,chief ,justice   
participates4  7#b7 ,appellate court of 
the ,united ,states ,the term appellate 
court of the ,united ,states means any  
,united ,states circuit court of appeals
 and the ,supreme ,court of the ,united 
,states4  7b7 ,authority of presiding   
judge ,to allow media coverage of court 
proceedings  7#a7 ,authority of         
appellate courts  7,a7 ,in general      
,except as provided under subparagraph  
7,b71 the presiding judge of an         
appellate court of the ,united ,states  
may1 at the discretion of that judge1   
permit the photographing1 electronic    
recording1 broadcasting1 or televising  
to the public of any court proceeding   
over which that judge presides4  7,b7   
,exception ,the presiding judge shall   

not permit any action under subparagraph
 7,a71 if--  7i7 in the case of a       
proceeding involving only the presiding 
judge1 that judge determines the action 
would constitute a violation of the due 
process rights of any party2 or  7ii7 in
 the case of a proceeding involving the 
participation of more than #a judge1 a  
majority of the judges participating    
determine that the action would         
constitute a violation of the due       
process rights of any party4  7#b7      
,authority of district courts  7,a7 ,in 
general  7i7 ,authority ,notwithstanding
 any other provision of law1 except as  
provided under clause 7iii71 the        
presiding judge of a district court of  
the ,united ,states may1 at the         
discretion of that judge1 permit the    
photographing1 electronic recording1    
broadcasting1 or televising to the      
public of any court proceeding over     
which that judge presides4  7ii7        
,obscuring of witnesses ,except as      
provided under clause 7iii7--  7,i7 upon

 the request of any witness 7other than 
a party7 in a trial proceeding1 the     
court shall order the face and voice of 
the witness to be disguised or otherwise
 obscured in such manner as to render   
the witness unrecognizable for purposes 
of photographing1 recording1            
broadcasting1 or televising the witness 
described in clause 7i72 and  7,,ii7 the
 presiding judge in a trial proceeding  
shall inform each witness who is not a  
party that the witness has the right to 
request the image and voice of that     
witness to be obscured during the       
witness's testimony4  7iii7 ,exception  
,the presiding judge shall not permit   
any action under this subparagraph if   
that judge determines the action would  
constitute a violation of the due       
process rights of any party4  7,b7 ,no  
media coverage of jurors ,the presiding 
judge shall not permit the              
photographing1 electronic recording1    
broadcasting1 or televising of any juror
 in a trial proceeding1 or of the jury  

selection process4  7#c7 ,interlocutory 
appeals barred ,the decision of the     
presiding judge under this subsection of
 whether or not to permit1 deny1 or     
terminate the photographing1 electronic 
recording1 broadcasting1 or televising  
of a court proceeding may not be        
challenged through an interlocutory     
appeal4  7#d7 ,guidelines ,the ,judicial
 ,conference of the ,united ,states may 
promulgate guidelines with respect to   
the management and administration of    
photographing1 recording1 broadcasting1 
or televising described under paragraphs
 7#a7 and 7#b74  7#e7 ,sunset of        
district court authority ,the authority 
under paragraph 7#b7 shall terminate    
upon the expiration of the #c-year      
period beginning on the date of the     
enactment of this ,act4  7#f7           
,procedures ,in the interests of justice
 and fairness1 the presiding judge of   
the court in which media use is desired 
has discretion to promulgate rules and  
disciplinary measures for the courtroom 

use of any form of media or media       
equipment and the acquisition or        
distribution of any of the images or    
sounds obtained in the courtroom4 ,the  
presiding judge shall also have         
discretion to require written           
acknowledgment of the rules by anyone   
individually or on behalf of any entity 
before being allowed to acquire any     
images or sounds from the courtroom4