(Washington) Should we televise the what promises to be historic trial of Donald Trump, as the media are asking? The former president will have to rule on the issue, even if the final decision does not belong to him, a federal judge ordered Friday.
Magistrate Tanya Chutkan, who will preside over the federal trial starting March 4, 2024 in Washington, gave Mr. Trump’s lawyers until November 10 to deliver their response.
In the United States, video streaming of trials is possible in some state courts, but federal trials are generally not televised.
Mr. Trump will be judged for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, a major event just months before the presidential election.
In its request to the court, the American press group NBCUniversal Media requests that, in the event that direct broadcasting is prohibited, cameras can nevertheless access the courtroom to record and subsequently broadcast images of the trial.
Even if Donald Trump’s defense were to accept such a request, it is not certain that Judge Chutkan would be willing or even able to approve such a measure.
So far, cameras have not been allowed during preliminary hearings in the case, held in federal court in Washington.
NBCUniversal Media highlights the exceptional nature of this legal meeting: “If a trial had to be televised, it should be this one, for the good of Americans.”
One of Donald Trump’s lawyers, John Lauro, has said in the past in favor of having cameras following this case so that “Americans can see what is happening in our criminal justice system.”
The Republican, candidate for the White House for 2024, was indicted by federal justice for his attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election, and in particular his role in the attack on the Capitol, invaded on January 6 2021 by his supporters.
This trial in Washington will be the first criminal trial for Donald Trump, a big favorite in the Republican primaries, who is also being prosecuted in New York State for suspicious payments to a former porn actress and in Florida for his negligent handling of documents. confidential after his departure from the White House.
Along with several of his children, the Republican billionaire is currently on civil trial in a New York state court for alleged financial fraud in the management of his real estate empire.