Why You Won't Actually Get To See Donald Trump In Court Today
Donald Trump might be making history today becoming the first former US president to face criminal charges – but you won’t actually get to see much of it.
That’s because New York rules prevent any cameras from entering the courtroom, no matter how many members of the media may be waiting outside.
Trump, who was indicted last week, is facing charges for handing hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, and the high-profile case has the world’s attention.
And on Tuesday, the full breadth of the charges against him will be publicly revealed for the first time.
But New York has among the strictest laws in the US when it comes to media coverage of such events.
In the 1930s, it was decided that no one should be allowed to film, broadcast or even take photographs inside the courtroom for most of the proceedings. That law has been left almost untouched over the decades.
But, the law does technically allow coverage of trial court proceedings as long as a witness testimony is not being taken, meaning we could have seen Trump in the actual courtroom if the judge in the case agreed.
Amid Trump’s indictment, senator Brad Holyman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat, called for a law-change.
He said: “As the media capital of the world – and the venue for the arraignment of Donald Trump – we must change this outdated law to allow the public to witness trials.”
He put forward a bill which would give judges discretion over what could be filmed, limit the number of video cameras and still photographers.
And Trump’s former attorney Alina Habba told CNN on Monday that she was not opposed to having cameras present, saying that “transparency is very important”.
But, after news outlets (including The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post) called for live footage of the moment to broadcast, acting New York supreme court justice Juan Merchan rejected their request on Monday night.
He admitted that while the occasion was “undoubtedly important, the news of the interests organisations must be weighed against competing interests”.
Merchan wrote: “That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges.
“Mr Trump’s arraignment has generated unparalleled public interest and media attention. “The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous.”
However, pool photographers will be permitted to take stills before the arraignment begins.
His statement came after Trump’s lawyers claimed that having cameras in the courtroom would establish a “circus-like atmosphere”.
The former president, who has denied any wrongdoing, is likely to make a statement after the arraignment on Tuesday night.