New York Times
February 27, 2014
By Adam Liptak
WASHINGTON — A protest group has posted surreptitious videos
prepared inside the Supreme Court during oral arguments, one of them showing
an audience member standing to denounce the court’s decision in the Citizens
United campaign finance case.
The videos, which are brief and shaky, represent a major breach of Supreme
Court security. Visitors to the courtroom pass through metal detectors and
are told they may not bring electronic devices into the courtroom. The court
has never allowed camera coverage of its proceedings.
On Wednesday, Noah Newkirk of Los Angeles stood in the back of the courtroom
during the argument of a patent case. “Money is not speech,” he said, in a
loud, calm tone. “Corporations are not people.”
He urged the court to “overturn Citizens United.” There was no reaction from
the justices.
Mr. Newkirk was hustled out of the courtroom by court personnel. He was
charged under a federal law that bans “a harangue or oration” and “loud,
threatening or abusive language in the Supreme Court building.”
The videos included the logo of 99Rise, a group whose website says it wants
to “reclaim our democracy from the dominance of big money.”
Kathleen Arberg, a spokeswoman for the court, said officials
there were looking into the matter. “The court became aware today of the
video posted on YouTube,” she said. “Court officials are in the process of
reviewing the video and our courtroom screening procedures.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K-8FJ114kU&feature=player_embedded