Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2025
The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2025 allows federal appellate and district court judges to permit media coverage of court proceedings - including photographing, recording, broadcasting, or televising - at their discretion. It requires judges to obscure witnesses' faces and voices upon request (for non-parties), prohibits broadcasting jurors or attorney-client conferences, and mandates that the Judicial Conference create mandatory guidelines within six months for protecting vulnerable witnesses like crime victims or minors. The law includes a three-year sunset for district court media authority and prohibits interlocutory appeals of judges' media coverage decisions. This bill directly affects federal courts, media organizations, and witnesses, balancing public access with due process and witness safety protections.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Mar 26, 2025
Last action Jun 23, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
5
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Jun 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley without amendment. Without written report.
upper
Jun 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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