This is another step to bring more transparency and more accountability to the Illinois court system. The provisions of this new policy keep discretion in the chief circuit judge and the trial judge to assure that a fair and impartial trial is not compromised, yet affords a closer look at the workings of our court system to the public through the eyes of the electronic news media and news photographers.

The presence of cameras and other recording devices in courtrooms has generated substantial controversy both in the US and abroad. In December, the US Senate Judiciary Committee returned to the longstanding debate [JURIST report] over whether to televise the proceedings of the US Supreme Court [official website], including whether Congress, as an equal branch of government, has the authority to require the court to admit cameras. In November, C-SPAN [official website] asked [letter text, PDF] the US Supreme Court to drop its ban on cameras in the courtroom when it hears arguments over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) [JURIST news archive]. In September, the UK Justice Secretary announced [JURIST report] that cameras would be allowed in UK and Wales courts in an effort to increase judicial transparency. In October 2010, a coalition of 37 public interest groups urged the US Senate to permit television coverage of Supreme Court proceedings [JURIST report]. In September 2010, US Federal judges reached an agreement [JURIST report] on a pilot project to allow certain civil trials to be televised.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] continues to prosecute former high-ranking Yugoslav army soldiers for war crimes. Last September, ex-Yugoslav army chief Momcilo Perisic [ICTY profile, PDF; JURIST news archive] was convicted for crimes against humanity and war crimes [JURIST report], committed during the wars in Bosnia and Croatia and sentenced to 27 years in prison. Former Yugoslav National Army officer Miroslav Radic [Trial Watch backgrounder], was acquitted of war crimes charges [JURIST report] brought by the ICTY in 2007. In 2009, Radic sued Serbia [JURIST report] for the four years and six months he was detained during his trial by the ICTY.

Last week, the UN expressed concern [JURIST report] over Cambodia's decision to not appoint the reserve judge Kasper-Ansermet to the ECCC after the previous judge, Siegfried Blunk, resigned [JURIST report] in October. ECCC judges, including Blunk, have been criticized for allegedly failing to conduct impartial investigations. Cambodia has argued that the trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders is a Cambodian issue and should not be a matter of international concern. Also in October, defense lawyers for accused Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen [BBC profile] for interfering with the UN-backed war crimes tribunal. Nuon's lawyers accused the prime minister of criminally conspiring to block some of the defense witnesses from testifying [Reuters report] and consequently interfering with his right to a fair trial. In September, the ECCC ordered the trials be split into a series of smaller trials [JURIST report].

This week the Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs [official website] requested the UN help resolve [JURIST report] the situation, which they are calling a judicial system failure. The Maldives has faced ongoing political difficulties following the adoption of its constitution [JURIST report] in late 2008. President Mohamed Nasheed [official website] defeated longtime political opponent Maumoon Abdul Gayoom [BBC profile], who had jailed him numerous times during his 30-year rule. However, opposition legislators have blocked the ruling party's legislative agenda, leaving certain crucial provisions of the new constitutional system unestablished. This resulted in the resignation of Nasheed's entire cabinet [BBC report] in June 2010. The Maldives Constitution [text, PDF] provides for multi-party elections, an independent judiciary and grants more authority to the legislature. It also enumerates fundamental rights of citizens and establishes several special commissions on issues relating to human rights and corruption. The new constitution was drafted in response to international criticism [AI report, PDF] of 2003 government actions against protesters of prison conditions in the country.

Federal courts have been cracking down on state medical marijuana laws recently. Earlier this month the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] was granted a motion to dismiss [JURIST report] a lawsuit brought by the Arizona Governor. The Governor believed an Arizona medical marijuana law placed lawmakers at risk of federal prosecution for implementing the law. In October, medical marijuana advocates filed suit [JURIST report] in a California federal court seeking relief against the federal government for its crackdown on marijuana dispensaries in the state. In June, a judge in Ontario stayed a ruling [JURIST report] finding that the country's marijuana laws were unconstitutional. In January 2010, the California Supreme Court [official website] overturned [JURIST report] a 2003 law limiting the amount of marijuana that may be possessed under the state's Medical Marijuana Program (MMP) [materials].

The ICTY is currently preparing for the trial of former Serbian general and alleged war criminal Ratko Mladic [ICTY backgrounder, PDF; JURIST news archive]. The trial is set to begin in March [JURIST report]. The ICTY had previously tried [JURIST news archive] former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic [JURIST news archive], but ended that trial after his death [JURIST report] in custody in 2006.

Last week, a report from Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] called on [JURIST report] Egypt's newly elected parliament to pursue an agenda to reform nine areas of Egyptian law that impede freedom and restrict rights. Among the suggestions was a call to lift the state of emergency. Earlier in January, Egyptian prosecutors began their case [JURIST report] against Mubarak, who is facing charges of complicity by ordering the killings of at least 840 protesters [JURIST report] during the revolution. Some commentators have recommended [JURIST op-ed] that the SCAF separate its economic and political power to allow for greater prosperity in Egypt.