While he was a Supreme Court justice, David Souter zealously discouraged any small attempts to bring broadcast media into the Supreme Court, under the “camel’s nose” theory — once they had even the slightest amount of access, the media would soon be demanding, and probably gaining, full access to Court proceedings, he feared.
Well, just more than a month after Souter retired, the camel and the camera are inside the tent. The Supreme Court’s surprise announcement Friday afternoon that part of nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s oath-taking at the Court on Saturday would be televised marks the first time, as far as anyone can recall, that such an event at the Court would be broadcast.
