essay tips pdf

• Tips for Reading an Assignment Prompt
• Asking Analytical Questions
• Introductions
• What Do Introductions Across the Disciplines Have in Common?
• Anatomy of a Body Paragraph
• Transitions
• Tips for Organizing Your Essay
• Counterargument
• Conclusions
• Strategies for Essay Writing: Downloadable PDFs
• Brief Guides to Writing in the Disciplines

Essay Papers Writing Online

A comprehensive guide to essay writing.

Essay writing is a crucial skill that students need to master in order to succeed academically. Whether you’re a high school student working on a history paper or a college student tackling a critical analysis essay, having a solid understanding of the essay writing process is essential.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the essential tips and tricks that will help you improve your essay writing skills. From generating ideas and organizing your thoughts to crafting a strong thesis statement and polishing your final draft, we’ve got you covered.

Not only that, but we’ll also provide you with useful templates that you can use as a framework for your essays. These templates will help you structure your writing, stay focused on your main argument, and ensure that your essay flows smoothly from one point to the next.

The Ultimate Essay Writing Guides

Essay writing can be a challenging task for many students, but with the right guidance and tips, you can improve your writing skills and produce high-quality essays. In this ultimate guide, we will provide you with valuable advice, tricks, and templates to help you excel in your essay writing endeavors.

1. Understand the Prompt: Before you start writing your essay, make sure you fully understand the prompt or question. Analyze the requirements and key points that need to be addressed in your essay.

2. Create an Outline: Organize your ideas and thoughts by creating a detailed outline for your essay. This will help you structure your arguments and ensure a logical flow of information.

3. Research Thoroughly: Conduct extensive research on your topic to gather relevant information and evidence to support your arguments. Use credible sources and cite them properly in your essay.

4. Write Clearly and Concisely: Avoid using jargon or complex language in your essay. Write in a clear and concise manner to convey your ideas effectively to the reader.

5. Proofread and Edit: Before submitting your essay, make sure to proofread and edit it carefully. Check for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and ensure that your essay flows cohesively.

By following these ultimate essay writing guides, you can enhance your writing skills and produce outstanding essays that will impress your instructors and peers. Practice regularly and seek feedback to continuously improve your writing abilities.

Tips for Crafting an A+ Essay

1. Understand the Assignment: Before you start writing, make sure you fully understand the assignment guidelines and requirements. If you have any doubts, clarify them with your instructor.

2. Conduct Thorough Research: Gather relevant sources and information to support your arguments. Make sure to cite your sources properly and use credible sources.

3. Create a Strong Thesis Statement: Your thesis statement should clearly outline the main point of your essay and guide your readers on what to expect.

4. Organize Your Ideas: Create an outline to organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas in your essay.

5. Write Clearly and Concisely: Use clear, concise language and avoid unnecessary jargon or complex sentences. Be direct and to the point.

6. Revise and Edit: Always proofread your essay for grammar and spelling errors. Revise your work to ensure coherence and clarity.

7. Seek Feedback: Ask a peer or instructor to review your essay and provide constructive feedback for improvement.

8. Use Proper Formatting: Follow the formatting guidelines provided by your instructor, such as font size, margins, and citation style.

9. Stay Focused: Keep your essay focused on the main topic and avoid going off on tangents. Stick to your thesis statement.

10. Practice, Practice, Practice: The more you practice writing essays, the better you will get at it. Keep practicing and refining your writing skills.

Tricks to Improve Your Writing Skills

Improving your writing skills can be a challenging but rewarding process. Here are some tricks to help you become a better writer:

1. Read widely: Reading a variety of genres and styles can help you develop your own voice and writing style.

2. Practice regularly: The more you write, the better you will become. Set aside time each day to practice writing.

3. Get feedback: Share your writing with others and ask for constructive criticism. Feedback can help you identify areas for improvement.

4. Study grammar and punctuation: Good writing requires a solid understanding of grammar and punctuation rules. Take the time to study and practice these essential skills.

5. Edit and revise: Writing is a process, and editing is an important part of that process. Take the time to edit and revise your work to improve clarity and coherence.

6. Experiment with different writing techniques: Try experimenting with different writing techniques, such as using metaphors, similes, or descriptive language, to enhance your writing.

7. Stay inspired: Find inspiration in the world around you. Whether it’s nature, art, or literature, draw inspiration from your surroundings to fuel your writing.

By following these tricks and practicing regularly, you can improve your writing skills and become a more confident and effective writer.

Step-by-Step Essay Writing Templates

When it comes to writing an essay, having a clear and structured template can be incredibly helpful. Here are some step-by-step essay writing templates that you can use to guide you through the process:

• Introduction: Start your essay with a hook to grab the reader’s attention. Provide some background information on the topic and end with a thesis statement that outlines the main argument of your essay.
• Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph should focus on a single point that supports your thesis. Start with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph, provide evidence to support your point, and then analyze the evidence to show how it relates back to your thesis.
• Conclusion: Summarize the main points of your essay and restate your thesis in a new way. Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion and instead focus on tying together all the points you have made throughout the essay.

Expert Advice for Writing Top-Notch Essays

When it comes to writing a top-notch essay, it’s essential to follow expert advice to ensure your work stands out. Here are some key tips to help you elevate your writing:

1. Start with a strong thesis statement that clearly outlines your main argument.

2. Conduct thorough research to support your points with credible sources.

3. Organize your thoughts logically and ensure your essay flows smoothly from one point to the next.

4. Use a variety of sentence structures and vocabulary to keep your writing engaging.

5. Proofread and edit your essay carefully to eliminate errors and refine your arguments.

By following these expert tips, you can take your essay writing skills to the next level and produce work that is both informative and compelling.

Resources to Enhance Your Essay Writing Process

When it comes to improving your essay writing skills, there are a variety of resources available to help you enhance your process. Here are some valuable resources that can aid you in becoming a more effective and efficient writer:

• Writing Guides: There are countless writing guides and books that offer tips, tricks, and strategies for improving your writing skills. Whether you’re looking to enhance your grammar, structure, or argumentation, these guides can provide valuable insights.
• Online Writing Communities: Joining online writing communities can be a great way to connect with other writers, receive feedback on your work, and engage in writing challenges and prompts. Websites like Writing.com and Wattpad are popular platforms for writers to share their work and receive critiques.
• Writing Workshops and Courses: Participating in writing workshops and courses can help you hone your craft and develop your writing skills. Whether you prefer in-person workshops or online courses, there are many options available to suit your needs and schedule.
• Writing Apps and Tools: Utilizing writing apps and tools can streamline your writing process and help you stay organized. Tools like Grammarly can assist with grammar and spelling checks, while apps like Scrivener can help you organize your research and ideas.
• Libraries and Writing Centers: Visiting your local library or university writing center can provide access to valuable resources, such as writing guides, research materials, and writing tutors who can offer personalized feedback and support.

By taking advantage of these resources, you can enhance your essay writing process and become a more skilled and confident writer.

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10 steps to write an essay.pdf

Brief Overview of the 10 Essay Writing Steps Below are brief summaries of each of the ten steps to writing an essay. Select the links for more info on any particular step, or use the blue navigation bar on the left to proceed through the writing steps. How to Write an Essay can be viewed sequentially, as if going through ten sequential steps in an essay writing process, or can be explored by individual topic.

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How to Use Track Changes in Word for Your Essay? [For Students]

My essays and assignments were far from perfect, but I managed to get through them thanks to teachers who pointed out my mistakes. After correcting those errors, I had to send the revised versions for review, making sure to highlight where I made changes. If you need to highlight changes in your document to help your teacher or reviewer track your revisions, I'll show you how to track changes in Word for students.

How to Compare and Highlight Differences in Two papers?

Students often share group project documents to collaborate on adding their parts or revising the content. But what if you forgot to enable the "Track Changes" feature? Fortunately, WPS Writer, a free office suite solution, offers a "Compare" tool. This tool allows students to compare the original document with the revised version to track or acknowledge any changes made. The tool is very straightforward, so let's simplify the steps for comparing documents.

Step 1 : Let's open the original or updated document in WPS Writer.

Step 2 : Go to the "Review" tab in the toolbar and click on the "Compare" button.

Step 3 : Select "Compare..." from the drop-down menu.

Step 4 : The Compare dialog will open. First, browse and upload the original and revised documents by clicking on the "Folder" icon.

Step 5 : Once the documents are selected, click on the "More" button for advanced settings.

Step 6 : In the "Comparison settings" section, choose what to include in the comparison.

Step 7 : In the "Show changes" section, select how to view differences and where to display them in the document.

Step 8 : After exploring advanced settings, click "OK" to proceed.

Step 9 : And here we have the comparison details. It appears that my group member decided to remove some words from a passage that I wrote.

Comparing documents is useful in academic settings as it allows you to learn more in a group setting. Just like how I reviewed the changes made by my group members and tried to understand their purpose, which helped me learn from my mistakes. Additionally, comparing documents can help track changes made by group members at a glance, saving time compared to scrolling through the entire document.

Word is a great tool, especially for students who need to write essays. However, if you want to ensure compatibility across devices—whether mobile, Windows, or Mac—WPS Office is a better choice. It's a free office suite that works with all Word document versions and can even convert your papers to PDF without compromising the original formatting.

How to Use Track Changes in Word for Revising Your Essay?

When writing an essay and you want to draw attention to a specific part, especially one that marks a significant change or correction, highlighting is an effective method. By highlighting, you can ensure that your reader or reviewer notices the changes quickly, making it easier to identify key sections of your work. This is particularly useful when collaborating with teachers or peers for feedback and revisions. Follow these steps to learn how to track changes in Word.

Step 1 : Firstly, let's open the report document in WPS Writer to make some revisions.

Step 2 : Now, to remember the changes made, head to the Review tab and click on the "Track Changes" button. Alternatively, use the shortcut key "Ctrl +Shift + E" to activate this feature.

Step 3 : You'll notice the icon changes color from white to gray, indicating that Track Changes is now active.

Step 4 : Scroll down and make changes in the document; added content will be highlighted in a different color.

Step 5 : Similarly, if content is removed, it will be struck through to highlight the changes

Step 6 : To adjust settings like highlight color or author name, click on the small arrow in the "Track Changes" icon.

Step 7 : Now select "Track Changes Options.." to customize the settings.

Step 8 : Here, you can change how content insertion or deletion is highlighted in the "Markup" section.

Step 9 : In the Balloons section, users can choose whether revisions appear inline or in a separate pane on the right side of the WPS Writer interface.

Step 10 : Once changes are made, exit the Track Changes option dialog by clicking "OK".

Step 11 : Furthermore, click on the small arrow in the Track Changes icon and select "Change username".

Step 12 : Here, students can update the username, ensuring it reflects their preference. Sometimes, your nickname may be shown based on your email ID, so it's possible to change it if needed.

As a student, particularly when tackling projects and theses, the ability to track changes over time is crucial. WPS Writer excels in this area.  When I receive feedback from instructors, I utilize the "Track Changes" feature. This allows me to easily see their suggestions and incorporate them into my work while retaining a record of the original text. The "Compare" feature comes in handy when collaborating with classmates. It helps us effectively visualize and merge changes made by different team members.  Overall, WPS Writer's constant evolution provides a comprehensive set of features and tools that streamline my workflow and simplify academic life.

Use AI Tools to Perfect Your Paper

As a student, you might wish things were a bit less tedious so you could focus on your studies instead of worrying about the tiny details. This is where WPS Office can make a huge difference. It not only saves you from the hassle of manual tasks like formatting and highlighting, but also provides the tools to create, edit, and organize your work efficiently. Whether you're preparing a thesis, crafting an assignment, or writing an essay, WPS Office has you covered.

WPS AI takes this further by offering assistance to correct grammar and spelling errors, ensuring your document looks professional and polished. It can even generate paper outlines and suggest topic ideas, giving you a head start on your assignments. With these capabilities, you can let WPS Office handle the heavy lifting while you concentrate on creating meaningful content. It's an invaluable tool for students who want to focus on the quality of their work without getting bogged down in the technicalities.

To ensure your thesis or assignment is error-free, let's utilize WPS Writer's AI Spell Check feature.

Step 1 : Open your document and activate the "AI Spell Check" option located at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2 : If you see a word or phrase highlighted with a colored line, simply click on it.

Step 3 : A panel for WPS AI Spell Check will appear on the right side, offering suggestions.

Step 4 : Review the suggestions provided and select the most suitable one.

Besides WPS AI Spell check, WPS Writer's AI feature is an excellent tool for tackling projects. It assists in creating detailed outlines, offering valuable assistance from start to finish. Let's delve deeper into its capabilities.

Step 1 : First, open WPS Office and click "New" on the left side.

Step 2 : Then, select "Docs" to start a new document.

Step 3 : Now, click "WPS AI" at the top right.

Step 4 : A panel for WPS AI will appear on the right.

Step 5 : With WPS AI, I usually share project details and let it create an outline for me.

Step 6 : After getting the outline, I review it and make any changes needed. Finally, I click "Insert" to add it to my document and format it the way I like.

Bonus Tips: How to Convert Word to PDF without losing Format

WPS Office goes beyond traditional word processing software.  It offers a comprehensive set of PDF tools that empower students to efficiently manage their documents.  Fueled by advancements in AI, WPS PDF delivers an increasingly immersive learning experience.

Students can leverage WPS Writer to meticulously format their work.  With the seamless conversion to PDF offered by WPS Office, all those formatting efforts are preserved, ensuring a polished final product.  Furthermore, the versatile WPS PDF tools allow for further manipulation and management of these documents.

Here's a simple way for students to convert their papers to PDF using WPS Writer:

Step 1 : Open your paper in WPS Writer and click on the Menu button at the top left corner.

Step 2 : Then, select the "Export to PDF" option from the menu.

Step 3 : In the Export to PDF dialog box, choose "Common PDF" from the "Export Type" dropdown, and then click "Export to PDF" to convert your Word document to PDF .

FAQs about Remove Page Breaks in Word

1. can everyone see the tracked changes in word.

Yes, by default, the tracked alterations are visible to all individuals who access the document. However, you have options to control visibility. You can safeguard the tracked changes with a password or limit editing to specific users, ensuring that only authorized individuals can see or modify the tracked modifications. This feature is particularly beneficial for maintaining confidentiality and control over sensitive information within your document.

2. What is the purpose of using track changes in Word for essays?

Tracking changes in Word serves multiple functions when working on essays:

Revision Tracking: It records all modifications made to the document.

Collaboration: It enables collaboration among peers or instructors.

Feedback: It allows others to give feedback on the essay's content and structure.

3. What is the significance of using WPS Office for demonstrating track changes in Word?

Employing WPS Office to demonstrate track changes in Word holds significance due to its compatibility across various devices and operating systems, including mobile phones, Windows PCs, and Mac computers. It ensures that students can effectively engage with the track changes feature regardless of the device they are using.

Highlight And Track Your Change With WPS Office

When you're tracking errors and correcting them in your work, you would want to highlight the changes to ensure your teacher notices and gives you credit for the corrections and of that you must know how to track changes in Word for students. WPS Office is an excellent choice for students, offering intuitive tools to make highlighting and tracking changes simple. It's designed with students in mind, making it easier to get your work done efficiently. Download WPS Office today to streamline your editing process and ensure you earn those extra marks for your efforts.

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• 3. 10 Best Excel Task List Templates: Track Your Tasks Like a Pro
• 4. How to Do Hanging Indent in Word for Your Essay? [For Students]
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The Historic Trump Court Cases That We Cannot See

By Neal Katyal

Over the past month, in two courtrooms some two hundred and fifty miles apart, the government was hearing arguments in two of the most consequential court cases in American history. In New York, at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, a judge was presiding over the first criminal trial of a former U.S. President. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., at the United States Supreme Court, the nine Justices were mulling over a grave question of constitutional law—whether a former President is immune from criminal prosecution.

The two courtrooms could hardly be more different, with the polished white marble of the U.S. Supreme Court contrasting with the more ramshackle wooden court furnishings in Manhattan. And yet both rooms are similarly opaque, with most Americans unable to see what’s happening inside of either one. Cameras are prohibited, and so the only way to observe the proceedings is to wait in line outside, in hopes of snagging one of the few seats reserved for members of the public. (The Supreme Court saves room for fifty public spectators; the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse has been able to accommodate around ten.) This is despite the fact that the American people pay for these courtrooms with their tax dollars, and the fact that prosecutions are brought in their name. The New York case is called the People v. Donald J. Trump.

Like grownups who abstain from tequila because of a bad experience with it in high school, the bans on cameras are the lingering effects of some early issues with courtroom photography. In 1935, Bruno Hauptmann was put on trial in New Jersey for kidnapping and murdering the nearly two-year-old son of the aviator Charles Lindbergh. At that trial, cameras were allowed under certain conditions: they could film during trial recesses but not while witnesses were testifying. And yet camera footage of the trial testimony leaked, and Hauptmann’s trial became a media circus. This defiance of court restrictions, paired with the bright flashes in the courtroom and the general mayhem caused by the cameramen, ultimately led the trial judge to ban photography for the rest of the proceedings. Many states followed suit.

Once television became ubiquitous, in the nineteen-fifties, the prohibitions on cameras began to seem antiquated. Some states rolled back their anti-camera legislation, and, today, most permit some form of audiovisual coverage in court, whether it be still photography during testimony, audio recordings, or live broadcasts on television. Federal appellate courts, too, permit live broadcasts, as does the International Criminal Court. But not so New York. In 1952, the state adopted a statute still in place today, banning all cameras in the courtroom—a law so broad that one court-reform organization, the Fund for Modern Courts, has called it “an extreme outlier among the states.” The U.S. Supreme Court, for its part, prohibits cameras but makes live audio of oral arguments available. That puts the Court in better audiovisual stead than New York, and yet there’s a lot that happens in court that cannot be captured by either audio or transcript.

As a member of the Supreme Court bar, I was able to sit at the front of the courtroom for the arguments in Trump v. United States, the Presidential-immunity case. I could see Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s face twist into an expression of utter incredulity as Trump’s lawyer D. John Sauer claimed that a President sending a Navy SEAL team to assassinate a political rival was not an indictable crime. I was able to watch Michael Dreeben, the lawyer for the special counsel Jack Smith, painstakingly describe the counts in one of the federal indictments against Trump, relating to his abuse of the Justice Department. Dreeben outlined how Trump tried to pressure top Justice Department officials into sending letters to state legislatures expressing doubt about the election counts, and how Trump threatened to fire those officials if they didn’t comply. After Dreeben relayed this information, almost two hours into the proceedings, I could see the Court dynamics shift. The Justices began to listen far more closely to him, sitting up in their chairs.

I’ve personally seen more than four hundred oral arguments at the Supreme Court. Why bother trudging all the way to One First Street when I could just listen to audio recordings or read a transcript? Because neither is any sort of substitute for watching the way in which these arguments are delivered, and for observing the dynamics on display in the courtroom. The Court itself isn’t satisfied with just reading a bunch of written words in briefs; it insists on seeing advocates deliver their arguments in person. More than fifty Americans should get that same basic opportunity.

The judiciary is the least democratic of the three branches of the government. Supreme Court Justices, who have lifetime tenure, are appointed, not elected. And so they are required to justify their decisions in ways that elected officials are not. President Joe Biden can sign an executive order without explaining his reasoning behind it. (It might cause a P.R. crisis, but it’s certainly within his power to do this.) By contrast, when the Justices overturn a longtime legal precedent, or when they create a new one, whether major or minor, they must issue written opinions explaining their decision-making process. This process might be as significant as the opinion itself. Oral arguments are, undoubtedly, a major part of that process, and yet most Americans are barely even aware that oral arguments are happening—let alone what arguments are being made—creating a situation in which the public receives a pile of controversial opinions, every June, with little context. One can imagine that if oral arguments were televised, Americans might spend the year doing what the Justices do: thinking through a bunch of complicated, nuanced questions before ultimately reaching their own conclusions.

The Court today is relying far too much on the idea that Americans are going to seek out audio feeds of oral arguments. This is unrealistic in an age of TV and Instagram. It’s not 1936, and Americans aren’t huddled around a radio in the family room. Without the visual component, it is unlikely that they are going to pay attention to the arguments in a Supreme Court case, even if the decision that’s eventually rendered may directly affect their lives. It would serve the Court well for Americans to be confronted with the same questions that are raised during oral arguments. It would also serve Americans well to see how the Court, which is increasingly seen as a politically motivated entity, is genuinely grappling with questions about governance, such as how to draw the line between an official Presidential act (like appointing a Cabinet member), and a private one (like taking a bribe from said Cabinet member).

The public is missing even more when it comes to Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, which, ironically, is all about whether Trump committed crimes in his efforts to keep information from the American people, in the run-up to the 2016 Presidential election. Last week, the adult-film actor Stormy Daniels went on the stand and told the full story of her relationship with Trump, from their initial sexual encounter, in 2006, to the hush-money agreement that she negotiated with Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen some ten years later. We were unable to watch her tell it, or to watch how she handled being cross-examined, in the same way that we were unable to watch Hope Hicks, a witness called by the government, tearfully testify about her old boss, or the former tabloid C.E.O. David Pecker speak to the dozens of stories that the National Enquirer has killed about Trump and other politicians over the years. We can read quotes published online, but it is much harder, from behind our computer screens, to read between the lines. Did Hope Hicks start crying because she felt bad about turning on Trump, or because she was overwhelmed by the trial, or because of something else? Different reporters have had different takes, but we’ve been denied the opportunity to watch her testimony and decide for ourselves. And, of course, we’ve been unable to observe the behavior of the defendant, Donald Trump: how he comports himself in the room, how he reacts to the testimony of witnesses, how he carries himself, and so much more. (Just imagine how different the O. J. Simpson “gloves don’t fit” testimony would have been, had it been reduced to a transcript—or even a highly descriptive newspaper article.) Journalists have done their best to describe what’s happening in the room, and yet even the most faithful retellings can be subjective, skewed by something as simple as where the writer was sitting in the courtroom, and what kind of view they may have had. Some reports, for example, say that Trump keeps falling asleep during the trial; others disagree.

On Monday, Cohen is on the stand—more important testimony that we will not see. There’s also a chance, albeit a small one, that Trump himself will eventually testify in the New York trial. If he does, the American people will not be able to witness some of the most significant trial testimony given in our lifetimes. And if he does not testify, cameras would be the only way for us to see Trump’s true reaction to the case being presented against him. Instead, the lack of cameras has catalyzed a lopsided spin cycle outside the courtroom. Trump leaves the courtroom each day, where the reporters waiting outside for him do have cameras, and he characterizes the proceedings in a gravely slanted way, which then gets broadcast on cable news. The lawyers for the prosecution cannot publicly grandstand like this; rules of prosecutorial ethics require them to make their arguments inside the courtroom, not outside of it. The result is a structural asymmetry, which isn’t just confined to the two sides of the court case. The characters appearing on the witness stand, from Daniels to Cohen, are all subject to innuendo and character attacks, with the public unable to fact-check how these individuals are portrayed by the media. The same goes for the Supreme Court. Don’t believe what I said about Justice Barrett’s facial expression during oral arguments? Tough luck, you can’t go back and check the video, because there isn’t one.

Even if one accepts these rules for a normal trial, you’d think that there’d be an exception for ones that are so clearly in the public interest. Trump is not just a former President but a candidate for President, and twenty-four per cent of Republicans say they would not vote for him if he were convicted of a felony by a jury. The immunity case, too, is of grave concern to the public, as the Justices are essentially deciding whether Trump’s other trials should move forward. The risk is of a double darkness—that a Supreme Court the American public cannot see will render a decision preventing Americans from even hearing the rest of evidence against Trump, by stopping his trials from taking place altogether.

What possible rationale can there be for having a courtroom placed out of view of the people who paid for it? To be sure, confidentiality is sometimes required, from the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to the modern-day jury room. But courtroom proceedings are, by their nature, meant to be transparent, centered on a fact-gathering and argumentation process. Expecting cameras in the courtroom is not unlike expecting body cameras to be worn by police officers, who, like judges, are sworn to uphold the rule of law.

Some fear that courtroom cameras will prompt witnesses to be intimidated and scared. I understand this concern; indeed, I once shared it. From 2020 to 2023, I was privileged to serve as special prosecutor in one of the most high-profile trials in modern history, the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd . Up until this case, Minnesota had never televised a criminal trial. As prosecutors in the case, and in accordance with Minnesota law and practice, we requested that cameras be forbidden. We feared, in particular, for the safety and comfort of a seventeen-year-old witness, who had taken the video of Floyd’s murder.

The judge, fortunately, overruled us. Americans were able to see, with their own eyes, what happened in that courtroom. They could see the evidence that both sides were able to muster, examine Chauvin’s demeanor in court, and assess the credibility of the on-the-scene witnesses and medical experts. The result was public confidence in the outcome of the trial. When Chauvin was ultimately convicted, there were no mass riots or protests, despite speculation beforehand that either outcome would result in unrest. The trial underscored the importance of courtroom cameras, just as the initial video of Floyd’s murder, recorded by that young witness, was critical in drawing public attention to the incident in the first place.

There have been concerns, too, that televised legal proceedings create perverse incentives for lawyers and judges, who may be tempted to play for the public, and distort the truth-seeking function of the court. That is a possibility, although the democratic benefits strongly outweigh that risk, just as they do for Congress (televised) and the President (extensively televised). And the reverse is more likely, as courtroom participants are incentivized to act with greater care when their actions will be viewable by millions. In 2017, I argued against President Trump’s Muslim ban in the federal appeals court in Seattle, and the oral argument was covered on live television. If anything, the cameras induced us attorneys to be even more conscious of keeping the proceedings solemn. Ultimately, cameras would allow Americans to see what I get to see when I am in court: a bunch of judges who are trying their hardest to resolve difficult cases in a straightforward and honest way. Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, is a perfect example. Those in the courtroom describe an even-keeled and balanced judge, but Trump goes out every day blasting him as a biased accomplice of President Biden. Televised proceedings would empower Americans to make these judgments for themselves.

The mechanism to fix all of this is not difficult to implement. Changing the rules in New York would likely require the state legislature to lift its ban on cameras, although it is conceivable that a court may try to do so on its own, as Minnesota did in the Chauvin case. Televising Supreme Court arguments would not even require legislation; it could be done by mere Court rule. And, should the Court not act, legislation has been introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin to force them to do so. The bill, known as the Cameras in the Courtroom Act, would require the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of oral arguments and other open sessions. It’s accompanied by another bill, the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act, which extends to all open federal court proceedings. Both bills are pieces of bipartisan legislation; Grassley and Durbin don’t agree on much, but they agree on this. Even the Justices themselves have, in other contexts, recognized the importance of governmental transparency in a democracy. The person who famously said that sunlight is the best disinfectant was none other than Justice Louis Brandeis. ♦

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