After a federal judge found Maryland’s court ‘broadcast ban’ unconstitutional, the state judiciary proposes rule to curtail access to court audio

Less than a month after a federal judge found Maryland’s ban on broadcasting legally obtained recordings of court proceedings unconstitutional, the state judiciary is considering a rule that would prevent the public from obtaining audio recordings of criminal court cases altogether. On Dec. 9, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett struck down Maryland’s so-called “broadcast ban,” which prohibited the dissemination of audio recordings obtained legally through the courts, determining that the law violated the First Amendment. His ruling came more than three years after a group of journalists and activists sued the state.