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All local judges in Indiana can allow news cameras in courtrooms, starting May 1

Local judges in Indiana will be able to allow the media to photograph, record and broadcast court hearings, beginning May 1.

The Indiana Supreme Court announced that change Wednesday.

State judicial rules have long barred cameras in courtrooms, unless approved by the state Supreme Court. The rule change no longer requires that approval – any local judge can make the decision on their own.

In a statement, Chief Justice Loretta Rush says those judges are in the best position to balance transparency with the rights of people in court.

READ MORE: Indiana Supreme Court launches pilot program allowing media recording in some courtrooms

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The rule change comes after a pilot program allowing news cameras in courtrooms launched in 2021 in five counties.

There are some limits to the new policy. For instance, minors and jurors cannot be recorded or photographed.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Copyright 2023 IPB News. To see more, visit .

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.