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In camera (Latin: "in a chamber")[1] is a legal term meaning "in private".[1] It is also sometimes termed in chambers or in curia.
It applies to court cases (or portions thereof) to which the public and press are not admitted.[1] Certain cases may be ordered to be heard in camera when matters to do with national security are concerned. Otherwise, justice in free countries operates under the principle that in order for justice to be done, justice needs to be seen to be done, and the admission of the public to the court is considered a right. It is also used where one party claims some sort of privilege against a document (such as attorney work product or attorney-client privileged communications) while the other protests it, whereby the judge reviews the document and determines its admissibility.
In camera sessions, also known as executive session which are a common point of order during board meetings, where information is provided that is not reflected in the minutes, and not available to the public. Some topics that may be discussed during in camera sessions include personnel decisions, financial decisions that must be kept secret (for example, where an organization is contemplating purchasing land but does not yet want competitors or the public to know about this strategy) or other sensitive issues related to the organization.
This is the opposite of trial in open court, whereby all the parties and witnesses testify in a public courtroom, and attorneys make their arguments in public to the trier of fact, whether judge or jury.[1]
California Code of Civil Procedure § 2018.060 provides, "Nothing in this chapter is intended to limit an attorney's ability to request an in camera hearing as provided for in People v. Superior Court (Laff) (2001) 25 Cal.4th 703. Leg.H. 2004 ch. 182 (AB 3081), operative July 1, 2005."
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See also
- In limine
- United States v. The Progressive — a case where two trials were held simultaneously, one in camera and one public
Alternate meaning
In Camera is also one of the possible translations of the title of Jean-Paul Sartre's play Huis Clos, a French legal term with the same meaning.
References
External links
- A BBC News report on the trial of Wang Yam for the suspected murder of Allan Chappelow which was held partially in camera
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 25 September 2008, at 12:56.
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