The Minister of Justice Eric Dupont Moretti wishes, through his justice reform, that the French trials can be broadcast live on television.
A first for our country, but not for the world.
In the United States, the trials have been broadcast live on television for almost 60 years.
The trials could soon appear on French television.
In any case, this is what the Keeper of the Seals, Eric Dupont Moretti, wants, who has made it one of the points of his justice reform.
Today, it is forbidden to broadcast images of an audience.
Only a few historic trials have had a waiver.
Latest example to date: the trial of the January 2015 attacks. But all these trials filmed on an exceptional basis are "for the sake of history".
None are broadcast live on television.
If the bill is adopted, it is France Télévisions which could broadcast these trials.
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A very popular genre in the United States
The Minister of Justice said he was in discussion with the public service on this subject.
Justice on TV would be a first in France but it is already happening in a few countries.
And especially in the United States: the trials have been filmed and broadcast live on television for almost 60 years.
American viewers love court shows and trial footage.
Major channels across the country, such as CNN, NBC and CBS, have a long history of showing footage of audiences on their shows and news broadcasts.
The first trial visible on American television dates back to 1959, in Indianapolis.
A woman was charged with murder.
Court TV, an ultra-specialized channel
Since then, the United States has gone much further, with the creation of a channel entirely dedicated to justice, Court TV.
On this channel, you can watch 24/7 judicial broadcasts and especially live trials.
This was the case with that of American football star OJ Simpson, which received much media coverage and was broadcast in real time.
His trial in June 1994 had been the heyday of the channel for a whole year, with an exploding number of viewers.
Small precision, there are still some precautions taken for the retransmission of trials live, in particular a broadcast with a slight delay which makes it possible to hide sensitive information, such as the addresses or the names of the jurors.
Next Monday is a big event for the Court TV channel: the trial of the alleged murderer of George Floyd, which Americans will be able to follow from their sofa.
In France, the text of the law must be presented in mid-April to the Council of Ministers, before being submitted to a vote in Parliament the following month.