A federal court order in Arizona has halted a new law under which video recording from a close range has been banned. The court also set a deadline of seven days, in case any agency wants to defend the idea.
Protection Under First Amendment
The media which has been protesting against the order has contended in the court that, the order violates the protection provided under the first amendment.
The lawyer appearing for the media has written that now the Arizona-based journalists have to worry the least about the law, stopping them to film police officials from close range. The law was believed to come into effect from the 24th of this month.
The lawyer further said that the district court stay has reaffirmed the belief that, the media group are expected to win. He pointed out that, the law portrays the restrictions based on content, which is unlikely to succeed.
Arguments For and Against
Reportedly, those defending the new law had expressed concern about the safety of the police officials. Their argument undermined press freedom. The reports also bring out that, the new legislation took shape following the reported instances of police not conducting them well, believed to be recorded by protestors. Few supporting such acts of police have said that the new law is needed to keep a check on the unpredicted action of protestors. While, those opposing the move of police have argued that, such action would prove to be an obstacle to holding police accountable.
Intention Of The Bill
The former police officer John Kavanaugh, who is said to have drafted the bill said that the main intention behind the law is to help police, enforce the laws properly. The former officer said that the main cause of worry was the protestors, coming into very close proximity of police officers discharging their duties. John Kavanaugh said that he wanted to provide some relief to police officers.
“It’s really distracting and getting dangerous because they come within a foot or two of officers making arrests or doing other enforcement, so I wanted to provide them with some relief,” he said.
However, as brought out earlier the news was believed to interfere with the security provided under the first amendment. The legal director of the American Civil Liberties, Union of Arizona added that the police failed in providing a compelling reason for the implementation of the law.
