Question

Can reporters be excluded from congressional committee meetings? Court sessions?

1) Yes, reporters can be excluded from both congressional committee meetings and court sessions.
2) No, reporters cannot be excluded from either congressional committee meetings or court sessions.
3) Reporters can be excluded from congressional committee meetings but not court sessions.
4) Reporters can be excluded from court sessions but not congressional committee meetings.

Answer 1

Answer: Reporters can be excluded from both congressional committee meetings and court sessions.

Step-by-step explanation:

Reporters can be excluded from both congressional committee meetings and court sessions. While the First Amendment has some concerns about excluding reporters from public events, including press conferences and information-gathering processes, public officials are generally free to refuse to answer questions from a particular person or outlet as long as that person or outlet is not excluded from attending press events. Additionally, there have been cases where reporters were excluded from official press briefings, leading to lawsuits that argued the exclusion was a pretext for viewpoint discrimination. Therefore, while there are concerns about the exclusion of reporters, it is generally possible for public officials to exclude them from specific events.

Answer 2

Yes, reporters can be excluded from both congressional committee meetings and court sessions, although there are exceptions and limitations. Closed sessions in both cases may warrant the exclusion of reporters.

Step-by-step explanation:

Yes, reporters can be excluded from both congressional committee meetings and court sessions. However, there are some exceptions and limitations to this general rule.

In the case of congressional committee meetings, although the public and the press are generally allowed to attend,

there may be instances where closed sessions are held. These closed sessions are usually reserved for sensitive matters, such as national security or classified information. In some cases, reporters may be excluded from these closed sessions, but it is important to note that this is not a blanket exclusion and would require a valid reason.

Similarly, when it comes to court sessions, reporters are usually allowed to attend and report on proceedings. However, there may be instances where a judge may close the courtroom or limit access to certain proceedings. This is often done to protect the privacy of individuals involved or to maintain order in the court. In such cases, reporters may be excluded from these closed proceedings.