Appeals court rejects bid to block posting of Proposition 8 trial on YouTube

In a one-paragraph order, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the Proposition 8 campaign had not presented reason for "intervention by this court" in the broadcast issue.

Lawyers for the Proposition 8 campaign had argued that Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker did not have the legal authority to permit cameras in the trial, which is set to begin Monday in San Francisco. Proposition 8 backers say that broadcasting the proceedings "is likely to negatively affect the fairness of the trial."

(...) Walker rejected the campaign's arguments against cameras earlier this week, authorizing delayed video of the trial to be posted through YouTube with court-operated cameras in his courtroom.

The judge broke new ground, making use of a pilot program put in place in December by the 9th Circuit Judicial Council, the policy arm of the federal courts in nine Western states, including California. The program permits trial judges to allow cameras in civil, nonjury trials, breaking with federal court tradition generally banning the video of federal court cases.