Northwest Illinois Courts First To Get Cameras

CHICAGO (AP) — Courtrooms in northwestern Illinois will be the first in the state to allow cameras.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced Tuesday that cameras will be allowed in the 14th Judicial Circuit as part of a pilot program.

The circuit includes Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside counties.

The court announced last week that cameras would soon be allowed in trial courts on an experimental basis.

Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride says the pilot program allows the court to test the policy and see if it will work.

Illinois has allowed cameras during Supreme Court and Appellate Court hearings since 1983. At the time of that decision, the court continued the ban during trials because of fair trial concerns.

Illinois was one of 14 states that didn't allow cameras during criminal trials.

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