Here’s why Trump’s court appearance won’t be broadcast live as he faces indictment

Former President Donald Trump will be arrested and arraigned in a New York City court, a historic event that is expected to be followed closely by many. Despite the public interest, the proceedings will largely take place out of the sight of news cameras, according to reports.

Trump, who is mounting a third consecutive bid for the White House, is expected to appear in a Manhattan courthouse on April 4 to face criminal charges stemming from alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election, according to Reuters. The exact charges remain under seal, though.

Trump is the first former or sitting U.S. president to be subjected to criminal charges, according to Reuters. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and labeled the case a “witch hunt.”

Why won’t Trump’s court appearance be broadcast live?

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, established strict guidelines for news organizations covering Trump’s arraignment, according to CBS News, one of several outlets to request permission to broadcast the hearing.

Merchan ruled that a small number of photographers would be permitted in the courtroom to take still photos before the arraignment, per CBS. But after a few minutes, “no further photography will be permitted in the courtroom,” and cellphones and laptops will be prohibited.

In his ruling, despite rejecting bids to broadcast the hearing after weighing “competing interests,” Merchan noted the magnitude of the situation, according to CNN.

“That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed,” Merchan wrote, per CNN. “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.”

Before the ruling was made, Trump’s defense team requested that news outlets be denied access, arguing that a televised hearing would create a “circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump’s presumption of innocence,” according to CNBC.

The media ban is not unusual, however, as reporters are not typically permitted to broadcast inside New York courtrooms, according to CNN.

What is the law in New York on media coverage of court proceedings?

Merchan’s ruling is based on a state law dating to the 1930s that makes audiovisual coverage in court the exception, not the norm, according to a recent report.

“New York is the media capital of the world, but it is one of the few U.S. jurisdictions that prohibits the use of cameras in most courtrooms,” says a 2022 report from the Fund for Modern Courts, a nonprofit organization.

The report concludes that New York is “an extreme outlier among the states” in restricting news coverage of court proceedings, adding that judges in the state have “broad discretion” to decide whether coverage will be allowed.

Recently, several state legislators have pushed to revise the law to allow for greater coverage of state courts, according to Politico.

“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,” Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat and sponsor of a bill to change the law, told the outlet.

As a consequence of the the current law and Merchan’s ruling, audiovisual coverage of Trump’s April 4 court appearance is set to be covered piecemeal by photographers inside the courtroom and cameras stationed outside.

The whole ordeal, which will include fingerprinting and a reading of charges, is expected to be brief, according to The Associated Press.

However, the consequences of the historic arrest, which has drawn praise from Trump’s detractors and galvanized his supporters, could be long-lasting.