TV cameras can only keep 10 seconds of footage and must delete everything else, according to the judge’s decision
MADISON, Wis. – The judge presiding over the case of a man accused of murdering a doctor and her husband in the UW Arboretum in 2020 has limited TV stations to broadcasting just 10 seconds of an hour-long hearing in the case on Thursday.
Judge Ellen Berz also ruled that all other recordings must be deleted within 24 hours.
Khari Sanford, one of two men charged in the March 2020 murders of Dr Beth Potter and Robin Carre, faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime.
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The decision comes after Assistant District Attorney William Brown asked the judge to ban live streaming of court proceedings. Brown said this was to ensure witnesses would feel comfortable testifying, especially after the highly publicized Chandler Halderson murder trial.
In response, Judge Ellen Berz banned both live streaming and any recorded video longer than a single 10-second clip, meaning public access to the proceedings is limited to those who were in court. Thursday and in the file that the court keeps itself.
“It’s a pretty serious strain it puts on the media’s ability to do their job,” said Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.
“I think Judge Ellen Berz here issued a pretty extraordinary order saying that the media recording the proceedings in her courtroom today are only allowed to use 10 seconds of it and then destroy it by next,” he added. “It’s very unusual.”
News 3 Now is part of a group challenging the judge’s order, which includes two other Madison TV stations and broadcast news advocacy groups. The judge has scheduled a media settlement hearing for April 15.
More than just allowing access to cameras to see inside proceedings, Lueders said allowing that access is about maintaining public accountability in the justice system.
“The public has a right to know how the justice system works and to have those proceedings visible and publicized — it’s a right well respected in Wisconsin and across the country,” he said.
“We are very concerned that this will not be allowed and that the public will not be able to see what is happening in the legal process as it unfolds,” Lueders added.
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