On this courtroom sketch, former U.S. President Donald Trump appears on classified document charges after a federal indictment at Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, alongside his attorney Chris Kise, in Miami, June 13, 2023.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
WASHINGTON — Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee said Thursday that every one court proceedings related to former President Donald Trump’s election interference case will likely be streamed live for the general public.
McAfee also said that members of the press will likely be allowed to make use of their computers and cellphones contained in the courtroom provided that the devices are usually not used to record the trial.
While Federal courts largely prohibit photography and recording within the courtroom, Fulton County broadcasts judicial proceedings on its YouTube channel.
The broadcasting of Trump’s proceedings would give the general public unprecedented access to what will likely be probably the most high-profile trials in American history.
Earlier this month, congressional Democrats, led by California Rep. Adam Schiff, called for Trump’s federal criminal trials to be televised.
“If the general public is to completely accept the end result, it’ll be vitally vital for it to witness, as directly as possible, how the trials are conducted, the strength of the evidence adduced and the credibility of witnesses,” Schiff and 37 members of his caucus wrote in a letter to Judge Roslynn Mauskopf, who heads the executive offices of U.S. Courts.
The letter was released inside hours of Trump’s arraignment in Washington, D.C., where the previous president pleaded not guilty to 4 charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump, the present Republican presidential front-runner, is facing 13 felony counts including racketeering, soliciting false statements and criminal conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty Thursday and will likely be arraigned on Sept. 6.
Trump has been cagey on the query of whether he wants cameras at his upcoming trial in Georgia.
In a Latest York City case where he’s accused of filing false business records, Trump’s lawyers opposed a request from media outlets in April to permit cameras in court.
But one other of Trump’s lawyers, John Lauro, said earlier this month that cameras in court could be high-quality.
“I personally would like to see that,” Lauro said in a Fox News interview, adding, “I’m convinced the Biden administration doesn’t want the American people to see” Trump on trial.
