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Presentation
The U.S. Supreme Court, Technology, and the Media
BYU Law Review Symposium on The Supreme Court and the Press (2012)
  • Mary-Rose Papandrea, Boston College Law School
Abstract
One way of examining the Court’s reluctance to embrace new communications technology is looking at what the Court's understanding of communications technology in its decisions. If the Court does not understand technology, that might help us understand why as an institution it is so reluctant to embrace technology to communicate with the public. This Article argues that the Court's cases involving communications technology do not present easy answers; it is therefore not surprising that during oral argument the Justices would exhibit some struggle to understand the technology. Furthermore, the Article argues that by the time the Court issues an opinion regarding new technology, the Justices have done an admirable job of understanding that technology. This Article concludes that the Court's aversion to cameras in the courtroom is not due to the Court's Luddite tendencies--after all, cameras are not new technology--but rather its disdain for the modern media environment. This Article concludes that advocates for improved public communications from the Court should focus less on cameras on the courtroom and instead focus on new educating the Court about newer communications technologies like social media that would help the Court improve its communications with the press and public.
Publication Date
January, 2012
Citation Information
Mary-Rose Papandrea. "The U.S. Supreme Court, Technology, and the Media" BYU Law Review Symposium on The Supreme Court and the Press (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/mary-rose_papandrea/32/