The New Jersey Supreme court last week upheld the right of a citizen to videotape public meetings.

In Tarus vs. Pine Hill Borough, the court said that, while there is no constitutional right to videotape meetings, New Jersey’s long-standing tradition of open government supports such a right. That tradition is embodied in laws such as the Open Public Meetings Act, according to the court.

Reasonable Restrictions To support its finding, the court relied on 1982 decision affirming the right of a teachers’ union to videotape school board meetings. The court, however, noted that the right to videotape was subject to the reasonable restrictions of the governing body, such as the location of the equipment during the meeting.