Just 18 months ago, in the glare of the O. J. Simpson murder case, the Federal courts' chief policy-making group voted to bar cameras from both appellate arguments and trials.

He barred cameras from the Smith trial.

The nature of the crime was different, Mr. Jackson's career was already in decline and the judge in this case, Rodney S. Melville, barred cameras from the courtroom and imposed a gag order on all participants.

The court, which barred cameras, did not rule immediately on either issue.

The pictures were so awful that investigators have now barred cameras from any other grave sites they may find, a possibility that is depressingly likely.

Judge Ito took steps today to preserve the anonymity of the jury pool, barring for the duration of the case all television and still cameras in the hallway leading into his ninth-floor courtroom.

After a plea last week by Katie Beers to "keep her private life private," a Family Court judge today barred cameras from the courtroom while her mother, Marilyn Beers, tries to regain custody of her.

Still, New York is unusual among the states in debating whether to bar cameras from its courts, and many news organizations have lobbied strongly for the existing laws to be liberalized and made permanent.

If Judge Fujisaki hoped to avoid a media circus by barring cameras, E!

Madison Square Garden is also barring cameras and asking ticket holders to arrive earlier for inspections.