Cameras at the Supreme Court (NY Times)

To the Editor:

Re “Open Up the Court” (Op-Ed, April 24), by Jonathan Sherman, calling on the Supreme Court to open its oral arguments to cameras:

The justices harbor several reasons for refusing to let all but a lucky few hear and see the arguments live. One of the silliest is that the average person would get the wrong impression about the arguments’ importance, failing to appreciate that the written legal briefs are vital, perhaps more vital.

One cure would be for the chief justice to state this truth from the bench, inviting members of the public to read the briefs themselves. If the justices are unwilling to act on their own, Congress can and should legislate that these proceedings shall be open.

JOHN P. MacKENZIE

Long Island City, Queens