Cook County court trials coming to a TV screen near you

The next blockbuster trial to take place in Cook County could be coming to a TV screen near you.

The county’s Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans will launch a trial program in January that will allow photographers and TV cameras into courtrooms for the first time.

On Monday, he met with representatives of the media to discuss the specifics of how it will work.

The effort will be limited to felony criminal cases at the 26th and California criminal courts building at first. But if all goes well, the program could be expanded to other courthouses throughout the county.

Evans called the program a “tremendous step forward to enhance transparency and accountability at every level of the court system.”

While cameras have been used in other Illinois counties — and other states — Cook County lingered despite a 2012 Illinois Supreme Court decision allowing cameras in courts “on an experimental, circuit-by-circuit basis.”

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and outgoing Public Defender Abishi Cunningham have both expressed reservations about the move.

In fact, Cunningham was outspokenly opposed last February in a letter to the state Supreme Court.

“I am opposed to extended media coverage of criminal cases as a matter of general principle,” Cunningham wrote. “Broadcasting criminal cases panders to the basest instincts of the media to publicize salacious and lurid stories and does nothing to enhance the understanding of how the court system works.”

Still, Evans expressed optimism about allowing cameras in court.

“The public’s understanding of how their justice system truly operates will be enhanced as they observe firsthand that litigants are treated with respect and that justice can be done fairly and impartially.”