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In 1934, nearly 700 reporters and photographers descended on the New Jersey town where Bruno Hauptmann was on trial for Kidnapping and murdering the baby of famous aviator Charles A. Lindbergh and author Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The trial judge allowed still photography, but was unprepared for the barrage of flashbulbs and the presence of a newsreel camera that was smuggled inside the court. Decrying the media circus that resulted, the ABA in 1937 called for prohibiting photography in its Canons of Professional and Judicial Ethics. At the same time the U.S. Congress amended the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to ban cameras and any form of broadcasting from federal courts. All but two states—Texas and Colorado—gradually adopted the ABA ban. Later, Texas permitted television cameras and it was a Texas criminal case that led to the next stage of development in this area of U.S. law.

In the midst of the social-media blitz over the issue, the county felt a backlash when a controversial Facebook comment was posted on the “Save Mickey” page by an Animal Care and Control employee: “This is stupid the owners surrendered the dog. You guys doing all of this, won’t help any. He’s going night night!!” The employee’s action appeared to violate county social-media policy, and administrative action will be taken, Silva said.