Poll: Yes to cameras in Supreme Court

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PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Republicans and Democrats say TV cameras should be allowed into the U.S. Supreme Court when it hears oral arguments on healthcare reform, a survey indicates.

A USA Today/Gallup poll found about three-quarters of Americans -- 77 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of Democrats -- said television cameras should be allowed to televise the 5 1/2 hours of oral arguments in its upcoming review of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Americans of all major age groups generally favor allowing the healthcare case to be televised, but support is lower among adults 55 and older than those younger than 55, the survey says.

Last month the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to rule on the constitutionality of President Obama's healthcare law to settle the legal challenges several states have brought and C-Span asked that television cameras be included in the courtroom.

The widespread support for televising testimony in the healthcare case is greater than what Gallup found in December 2000 when it asked about the Supreme Court's ban on cameras, in general. At that time, a bare majority of Americans -- 50 percent -- said the court should allow television coverage when they heard arguments, while 48 percent said it should not, Gallup officials said.

The survey of 1,011 U.S. adults was conducted Dec. 6 and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.