Judges give negative reviews to cameras in courts project

WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's federal judges are giving negative reviews to a four-year pilot program that allowed some civil trials to be televised.

A report Tuesday from a committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States says the presence of cameras in courtrooms often made witnesses more distracted or nervous. It said the high cost of the program and the negative impact on attorneys, witnesses and jurors outweighed any benefits to televising proceedings.

The report recommends keeping in place current rules that ban cameras from federal district courts.

The pilot project ran in 14 federal courts around the country and ended on July 18, 2015.

Advocates of allowing cameras in courts said they were disappointed with the report's recommendation.