Why it Matters

The Senate Judiciary Committee's June 18 business meeting puts three substantive bills on the table at once. Two would open federal courtrooms to cameras for the first time, and the other one would create a new federal right to control AI-generated replicas of a person's voice and likeness. The convergence reflects mounting pressure on Congress to respond to both long-standing transparency debates and the rapid spread of deepfake technology. The committee's chair and ranking member are co-sponsors on both camera bills, signaling rare bipartisan alignment.

Cameras in the Courtroom

S.1133, the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2025, and S.1146, the Cameras in the Courtroom Act, are companion bills that together address the full federal judiciary. S.1133 would allow federal judges to permit media coverage, including photography, video recording, broadcasting, and televising, at both the appellate and district court levels. District court judges would be required to protect vulnerable witnesses, including crime victims, minors, undercover officers, and cooperating witnesses, by obscuring their faces and voices upon request, and jurors could never be filmed or recorded.

S.1146 takes the more aggressive approach, requiring the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open sessions. The only exception would be a majority vote of the justices to block cameras in a specific case where coverage would be found to violate due process rights. This bill has a companion in the House, H.R. 2361.

Both bills were introduced on March 26, 2025, and both were referred to the Judiciary Committee that same day with no further committee action recorded until now. Senator Chuck Grassley leads S.1133 and co-sponsors S.1146; Senator Dick Durbin leads S.1146 and co-sponsors S.1133, an arrangement that makes the committee's chair and ranking member joint architects of both bills. Five of the six sponsors of S.1133 sit on the Judiciary Committee, and all five sponsors of S.1146 are committee members.

The NO FAKES Act and the AI Likeness Question

The third bill on the agenda, the NO FAKES Act of 2026, S.4591, would create a new federal intellectual property right giving every individual exclusive authority over computer-generated digital replicas of their voice or visual likeness. That right would extend up to 70 years after death, with heirs able to inherit and license it. Platforms that host or distribute unauthorized replicas could face civil liability, though safe harbor protections would be available for those that act promptly upon notice. The bill would also establish a federal floor, preempting inconsistent state laws. Senator Christopher Coons leads the bill, with 11 co-sponsors spanning both parties, including Senators Marsha Blackburn, Amy Klobuchar, Thom Tillis, and Adam Schiff.

The earlier NO FAKES Act of 2025 drew significant lobbying attention, with 49 registered lobbying disclosures, 17 lobbying firms, and 15 organizations active on the bill. SAG-AFTRA has published a policy brief in support, and the Recording Academy/Grammy has noted that the bill would provide a national standard to protect creators' likenesses from being used without their consent.

Judicial Nominations Also on the Docket

The June 18 meeting will also take up a slate of judicial and executive nominations, including Benjamin M. Flowers of Ohio to the Sixth Circuit, Matthew A. Schwartz of New York to the Second Circuit, and district court nominees for the Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Florida, and Southern District of Texas. The committee will also consider Don Richard Berthiaume, Jr. of Virginia to serve as Inspector General of the Department of Justice.

The business meeting is scheduled for 10:15 AM at 216 Hart Senate Office Building.

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