The Chicago personal injury lawyers of Friedman & Bonebrake, P.C. would like to announce that this week, the Illinois Supreme Court has approved of a pilot program that lets media cameras enter the state's circuit courts for the first time.  Previously, cameras were only allowed in Illinois Appellate Court and Illinois Supereme Court hearings.

The program allows reporters to use still and video recording cameras in Illinois's 23 circuit courts.  Cameras will be allowed to capture both criminal and civil proceedings.

A spokesperson for the Illinois Supreme Court noted that the program is a pilot program that will be used "on an experimental and limited basis."  While federal courts do not allow cameras, many states' courts do.  

A professor of broadcast and online media said of the program, "My excitement isn't just for the newsrooms that might benefit from this, but it's for the citizens who will now have free access to something that they were just hallway observers for."

To learn more about the new pilot program, visit Chicago Tribune.