Protesters release video of Supreme Court outburst

For the third time in about a year, activists snuck a video recorder into the Supreme Court to catch their protests against a pair of campaign finance decisions.

The video posted Wednesday night by the group 99 Rise appears to show the outburst of five protesters arrested during oral arguments. 

{mosads}The video begins with a woman standing up and shouting “We rise to demand Democracy. One person, one vote.” It ends with a view of the fifth protester, who sings the opening verse to a version of “Ella’s Song” before being pulled away by security. 

“We who believe in freedom shall not rest,” the man sings, seconds after Chief Justice John Roberts warns that any further outburst could result in criminal contempt. 

The group has staged two previous protests and caught both of them on film — a largely unprecedented feat. 

All electronic equipment including cellphones and other devices are prohibited from the courtroom. The court provides delayed audio records of the proceedings but does not allow video equipment, something a number of lawmakers and other transparency advocates have criticized as being behind the times.  

The activist group has been protesting a pair of previous Supreme Court decisions dealing with campaign finance. But its first protest last February in the court caught attention because of the novelty of sneaking a camera in the generally closed off court. 

In the past, protesters have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and have been banned from the court. 

Tags Protest Supreme Court

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