FAQ: What state courts of last resort offer live streaming, recordings, or both?

September 28, 2022

By Bill Raftery

With the U.S. Supreme Court set to return from its summer recess, attention is once again turned to the question of whether or not the high court’s proceedings should be video recorded or even live streamed. During the pandemic, the court opted to allow livestreaming audio for the first time and the court confirmed it will continue to do so but will still not livestream video. For their part, the vast majority of state courts of last resort (COLRs) offer live streaming, video recordings, or both for their proceeding. State COLRs can be divided into four main types:

• The first set livestreams video of their oral arguments: 40 then post the video, 2 post audio but not video, and 4 post nothing at all after the oral argument.
• The second set livestreams audio only of their oral arguments: 3 then post the audio and 2 post nothing after the oral argument.
• The third set offers no livestreams but either posts video (3) or audio (1) after the fact.
• The fourth set offers neither live streaming nor recordings (1) or there is no data reported for the court (3).

A list of what types of remote viewing courts offer is available below.

Is your court considering live streaming and/or posting recordings? Share your experiences with us. For more information, contact Knowledge@ncsc.org or call 800-616-6164. Follow the National Center for State Courts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Vimeo.