The Freedom Forum hosted a discussion featuring retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and New York Times Correspondent Linda Greenhouse . Both have written books, (“Becoming Justice Blackmun ” and “The Majesty of the Law “) and have different perspectives of the court. The entire discussion was played live on C-SPAN .

One of the main questions was whether television cameras should be allowed in the Court for oral arguments. I proposed another question (which was also read aloud): Should cameras and microphones be allowed in trial courts? While Justice O’Connor addressed the issues, she did so without making a clear statement about her beliefs. She said the court is slow to change and not ready for television cameras in the court. But she also said that she expects the court to allow cameras in the future.

The Columbia Journalism Review has a great article about some of the hesitation among the Justices. And C-SPAN has a great web page about what the sitting Justices think about cameras and microphones in the court.

Greenhouse has covered the Court since 1978 and recently retired. Seven of the nine sitting Justices attended her retirement party. During the discussion, Justice O’Connor was presented with a question about how journalists should cover the court. She responded: Like Linda Greenhouse.

One more note… Justice O’Connor is helping to create an online video game for high-schoolers featuring politics, government, and of course, the Court. It’s supposed to debut late next year, but Justice O’Connor says she wants journalists to try it out and write about it before its premiere.

Both Greenhouse and Justice O’Connor signed their books afterward. Thanks to Bruce Guthrie for taking these photos .

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