Tagged: camera

Illinois' highest court is allowing news cameras in criminal courtrooms in southwestern Illinois' Madison County as part of a pilot program.

The cameras allowed by the Illinois Supreme Court in the state's Third Judicial Circuit including Madison County follows approval of similar programs in the Quad Cities area and Kankakee County.

Judges say the move will promote openness in the judicial system but strive to be balanced with a defendant's constitutional right to a fair trial.

The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that police must preserve video evidence in all cases, even misdemenors.

The court upheld sanctions today in a case where police erased video of a drunken driving arrest. The defendant told prosecutors she intended to fight the charges and wanted the video, but police still followed their policy of destroying videos after 30 days.