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S 405 113th Congress Senate

Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2013

Official title: A bill to provide for media coverage of Federal court proceedings.

Introduced: February 28, 2013 Introduced by: Grassley, Chuck Republican · Iowa See on congress.gov
Law Broadcasting, cable, digital technologiesEvidence and witnessesFederal appellate courtsFederal district courts
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Judicial procedure and administrationPhotography and imagingSound recordingSupreme CourtTelevision and film
This bill died when the 113th Congress ended
It never became law before the 113th Congress (2013–2014) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 28, 2013
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1014-1015)
Feb 28, 2013
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1014)
Feb 28, 2013
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action February 28, 2013

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1014-1015)

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2013 - Authorizes the presiding judge of a U.S. appellate court or U.S. district court to permit the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising to the public of court proceedings over which that judge presides, except when such action would constitute a violation of the due process rights of any party.

Directs: (1) a district court, upon the request of any witness in a trial proceeding other than a party, to order the face and voice of the witness to be disguised or otherwise obscured to render the witness unrecognizable to the broadcast audience of the trial proceeding; and (2) the presiding judge in a trial proceeding to inform each witness who is not a party of the right to make such request. Allows a presiding judge to obscure the face and voice of an individual if good cause is shown that photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising such features would threaten the individual's safety, the court's security, the integrity of future or ongoing law enforcement operations, or the interest of justice.

Prohibits a presiding judge from permitting the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising of any juror in a trial proceeding, or of the jury selection process.

Terminates a district court's authority under this Act three years after enactment of this Act.

Requires the Judicial Conference of the United States to promulgate mandatory guidelines which a presiding judge must follow for obscuring certain vulnerable witnesses.

Prohibits any audio pickup or broadcast of conferences which occur in a court proceeding between attorneys and their clients, co-counsel of a client, adverse counsel, or counsel and the presiding judge, if the conferences are not part of the official record of the proceedings.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 405: Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2013. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-405/
MLA
"S. 405: Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2013." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-405/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 405, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-405/.
Markdown link
[S. 405: Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2013](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-405/)
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