New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan rejected a request by several media organizations, including CNN, for permission to broadcast today's historic arraignment proceedings. Five still photographers will be allowed to take pictures of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing begins, however. Via CNN:
Trump’s arraignment – like most arraignments in the Manhattan courthouse – is a public proceeding, but news cameras are not usually allowed to broadcast from inside the courtroom. In rejecting the request to broadcast the arraignment, Merchan nonetheless wrote about the historical significance of the proceeding in stark terms.
“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,” he wrote. “The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous.”
Merchan said that while the media’s request was understandable, the news organizations’ interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against “competing interests.” Earlier on Monday, Trump’s lawyers urged the judge to reject the media’s request for cameras in the courtroom. The Manhattan district attorney’s office told the judge it didn’t have a position.
