Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has been busy today on Capitol Hill meeting with Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump's nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.
Shortly before President Trump announced his decision on Monday, Grassley released a video advocating for cameras to finally be allowed into the nation's highest court.
“Congress is televised. The president has news conferences often. Other things in the executive branch get televised. There’s a lot of misunderstanding about the role of the judicial branch of our government. So I’m proposing, like 45 of our 50 states have, that allow cameras in the courtroom," Grassley said. "It brings transparency, it brings educational opportunities. So, I think it’s about time that we have rules mandating cameras in the courtroom including the Supreme Court here so people can see how the judicial branch of government functions so they can be educated about it. But the more important thing is to have respect for the judicial branch and in turn greater respect for the rule of law."
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Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is onboard with the idea and introduced legislation with Grassley on the matter last year.
Currently, the audio from Supreme Court hearings are released and only after arguments in a case are finished. A number of Senators have argued audio should be released on the same day they are made in court.
In the meantime, Grassley is in charge of Kavanaugh's hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee and plans to speed along his confirmation as quickly as possible.
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