Abstract
The Supreme Court recently handed down a unanimous decision dealing with the respective rights of the press and defendants in regard to the televising of criminal trials. The case, Chandler v. Florida, while explicitly stated to be consistent with the Court's earlier decision in Estes v. Texas, has expanded the realm of media coverage of criminal trials beyond what apparently was permissible under Estes. The Court attempted to balance the competing constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press and the sixth amendment right to a fair trial. It held that while the presence of television cameras in the courtroom is not inherently prejudicial, the defendant must be allowed an opportunity to show that the presence of television cameras actually prejudiced his right to a fair trial.
Recommended Citation
Patterson, Paul A.
(1982)
"Sixth Amendment, Televising Trials, Chandler v. Florida,"
Akron Law Review: Vol. 15:
Iss.
1, Article 13.
Available at:
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/akronlawreview/vol15/iss1/13