Bill Text: NY S04658 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Authorizes an experimental program in which presiding trial judges, in their discretion, may permit audio-visual coverage of civil and criminal court proceedings, including trials.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-15 - PRINT NUMBER 4658A [S04658 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S04658-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4658--A
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                      April 1, 2015
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary  --  recommitted
          to the Committee on Judiciary in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8
          --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
          and recommitted to said committee
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  judiciary  law,  in  relation  to  audio-visual
          recordings  in the courtroom; to repeal section 218 of such law relat-
          ing thereto; and providing for the  repeal  of  such  provisions  upon
          expiration thereof
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 218 of the judiciary law  is  REPEALED  and  a  new
     2  section 218 is added to read as follows:
     3    §  218.  Audio-visual  coverage  of  judicial proceedings. 1. Authori-
     4  zation.   Notwithstanding the provisions of  section  fifty-two  of  the
     5  civil  rights  law  and  subject  to the provisions of this section, the
     6  chief judge of the court of appeals or his or her designee may authorize
     7  an experimental program  in  which  presiding  trial  judges,  in  their
     8  discretion, may permit audio-visual coverage of civil and criminal court
     9  proceedings, including trials.
    10    2. Definitions. For purposes of this section:
    11    (a) "Administrative judge" shall mean the administrative judge of each
    12  judicial  district;  the  administrative  judge  of  Nassau county or of
    13  Suffolk county; the administrative judge of the civil court of the  city
    14  of  New  York  or  of the criminal court of the city of New York; or the
    15  presiding judge of the court of claims.
    16    (b) "Audio-visual coverage" shall mean the electronic broadcasting  or
    17  other transmission to the public of radio or television signals from the
    18  courtroom,  the  recording  of sound or light in the courtroom for later
    19  transmission or reproduction, or the taking of still or motion  pictures
    20  in the courtroom by the news media.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01061-02-6