Darlene Schempp finds herself in an uncomfortable juggling act.

The Los Angeles Superior Court judge who is presiding over the murder trial of actor Robert Blake in Van Nuys is charged with ensuring the rights of the accused in this case, a celebrity accused of a sensational crime.

Schempp initially banned electronic recording devices from her courtroom, but made concessions after complaints by a media group. She is now allowing a single video camera and a single still camera feeding a media pool during the opening and closing statements and the reading of the verdict.

“Because the role of the media is to get information and some members of the media show no deference or respect or understanding of the judge’s concerns for ensuring the rights of parties, sometimes there are very difficult control issues,” said L.A. Superior Court Judge Judith C. Chirlin. “That’s one reason judges may be very apprehensive about allowing cameras. You have to control the courtroom.”

Cameras have been allowed in the state’s courtrooms since 1984, with the adoption of what was known as Rule 980 of California’s court procedures. The pressure to restrict their access ratcheted up in the wake of the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.

Following that case, then-Gov. Pete Wilson asked the Judicial Council, which oversees the state court system, to consider instituting a ban on electronic media coverage of state trials, similar to the policy of federal courts.

The ban was not adopted, but Rule 980 was amended in 1997 to give trial judges discretion over whether to allow electronic media both inside the courtroom and around the courthouse. Judges are under no obligation to justify these rulings, which cannot be appealed.

Outside the courtrooms, restrictions on the media in and around courthouses fall under the discretion of the district’s supervising judge.

Chirlin, who favors having cameras in most cases, said a major concern is the large numbers of TV crews blocking access and disturbing the proceedings as they load and unload gear. When hearings end, crews have frequently crowded around the celebrities involved, blocking access and disrupting other courtrooms.

To deal with those issues, the Superior Court assembled a committee of judges and journalists in 2000 that visited every courthouse in the county and designated separate media rooms for interviews and press conferences.

Interests still compete

The changes have not left everyone happy.

“The access to the court system is becoming more and more limited all the time, particularly when you have no cameras in the courtroom,” said Steve Kindred, a reporter covering the Blake trial for KFWB-AM (1070) and president of the Radio Television News Association, which negotiated with Schempp for the expanded access.