"Supreme Court hearings could be shown on TV under a bill approved by a Senate committee Thursday but opposed by some high court justices," the AP says.

The bill "would require the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open sessions unless a majority of the justices decide that coverage in a particular case would violate the due process rights of a party before the court."

The second bill, called the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act, "would allow federal trial and appellate judges to permit cameras in the courtroom."

"The bills now go to the Senate floor, with scheduling up to Majority Leader Bill Frist," B&C says.

Statements from Court TV and C-SPAN are after the jump...


Court TV CEO Henry Schleiff issued this statement:

"The United States Senate Judiciary Committee has reflected the will of the people who want to be able to see and hear the third branch of their government for themselves. We hope the full Senate will now pass this bill which will not only provide important educational benefits but will also increase confidence in the American system of justice."

C-SPAN Corporate Vice President Bruce Collins issued this statement:

"These bills indicate at least Congress is interested in opening up the federal judiciary by televising court proceedings, and CSPAN agrees with that goal. But it is also clear to us that the federal courts, particularly the Supreme Court, are much less interested in allowing camera coverage."