U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued an order in the recent high-profile St. Luke’s/St. Alphonsus hospital lawsuit permitting live blogging from the courtroom. The judge’s decision, made on his own initiative after checking with counsel for both sides, followed inquiries from reporters about computer use.
Winmill agreed to permit live blogging from court, as long as there was no audio or video recording or photography; cameras aren’t allowed in federal court. In most cases, computer use in federal courtrooms to date has been allowed only for note-taking, not transmitting; this is a significant step toward increased openness and ease of reporting.
