Trump's Georgia TRIAL will be TELEVISED, Judge Says

https://www.axios.com/2023/08/31/trump-georgia-fulton-county-trial-televised


And live-streamed, as well. I have no argument to make here-- I mean, who could think that transparency is not a good thing, in this important trial, that has been alleged to be nothing but a political witch hunt? We will all get to see the proceedings, ourselves-- hurray for democracy!

This just seemed like an important enough news item, to have a place, on the forum.

<Snip>
All court proceedings in former President Trump's Georgia trial will be viewable by the public, a judge ruled Thursday.

Why it matters: The trial related to 2020 election interference will be the first and only one televised among Trump's four indictments, which could have political repercussions for the GOP presidential frontrunner.

Driving the news: The use of cellphones and laptops "will not disrupt the administration of justice," Judge Scott McAfee of the Superior Court of Fulton County wrote in the court order on Thursday.

"All parties and spectators are allowed to use recording devices," McAfee wrote.
Zoom out: The Georgia case has already yielded the first ever mugshot of a current or former U.S. president.

Trump is joined by 18 co-defendants in Fulton County, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and former Trump lawyer and mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani.
Of note: Federal and New York courts, where Trump's other indictments occurred, do not allow cameras inside the courtroom.

Georgia law considers cameras in the courtroom central to transparency.
<End>

There is, by the way, an effort, at least, to get cameras to be allowed in Trump's federal trials, as well.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/4149398-trump-federal-court-cameras/amp/

<Snip>
“Given the historic nature of the charges brought forth in these cases, it is hard to imagine a more powerful circumstance for televised proceedings,” lawmakers wrote in a letter spearheaded by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and more than 40 lawmakers.

“If the public is to fully accept the outcome, it will be vitally important for it to witness, as directly as possible, how the trials are conducted, the strength of the evidence adduced and the credibility of witnesses,” added Schiff, a former prosecutor and member of the House Jan. 6 committee.

The letter was addressed to the Judicial Conference, the body that oversees the federal court system and its rules of procedure, including Rule 53, which bars cameras...

The interest in transparency for Trump’s trial nods to the issues in relaying what happened in court — and the fractured media environment in which the public will learn about the trial...

“I think what we’ve seen for the last X number of years is that people are not debating from the same set of facts. … Everything’s an opinion. Nothing’s a fact. Nobody believes anything,” Steven Brill, the founder of Court TV, said in an interview with NPR this week.

“What you see online, you have no idea how credible it is, who the source is, who’s paying them to say something — the total opposite of what happens in a courtroom, where all the evidence is vetted, lawyers are bound by standards of conduct where they can’t just voice their opinions. They can’t introduce hearsay or rumors. That’s what the world needs to see in this trial because we’re going to be debating this trial forever.”
<End Snip>

 

I see both sides of this.

Transparency is important.

Donald Trump the person will not be on trial in front of the cameras. The character Donald Trump plays will be on full display. He will be performing for the camera doing his best to play the martyred victim. This in and of itself will be nothing new, but people always make the same mistake with Donald Trump and that is to try and match him on his level. If the state tries anything other than being the adults in the room, they will lose that battle and the entire thing will be devalued. The Georgia case is the most serious in terms of it's effect on the country. The man tried to steal an election. Let the Trump camp do their childish fake patriot stuff but let the adults just be adults.

 

I am sure that the television & live-streaming cameras, will be focused almost exclusively on the prosecution & defense lawyers, and those testifying. As I doubt this will include Trump-- he will have to do his performing, after the trial adjourns for the day.

 

More on this: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/31/trump-georgia-trial-will-be-streamed-live-judge-rules.html

Let's all watch this clown get destroyed.

 

It will suffice me, to just say, I will be hoping that we see true justice, be served.

 

Televised trial for what purpose? To kill Trump's chances of getting elected.

This doesn't have jack **** to do with "transparency".

 

Like it or not, a decision has been made by a non-partisan Judge appointed by Republican Governor kemp.

IMO, said televised trial will end up ridiculing Trump and his parrots.

 

I sort of disagree with that.... Trump the character will finally be on TV and not be allowed to speak... People have waited years for this moment...

Frankly, one of the greatest punishments I could envison, short of any actual punishment...

 

Do you not believe that all should get to see this supposed "witch hunt?" Wouldn't that show people the truth, so the libs couldn't lie about it?

It is Georgia state policy, by the way, to allow cameras in their courtrooms; they consider this "central to transparency." What reason would there be, to make an exception, of this trial? This information was part of my OP's first snipped source. To be fair to you, though, it was the last line of my first snip, so you would have had to read it all.

 

'transparency' but really, it's to make a further mockery of the court system. Although what @DEFinning just posted references specifically to Georgia law and how they do things, that argument can and should be made for the entire justice system in light of 'wanting to put cameras in trial'

Why should it be specific to Trump's specific case? Is he the only one that requires transparency? Or is it that because of the governmental factors, that it's deemed more important? The idea that the government safety, or that government officials are more important than the people, stands in direct contrast to why the framers made the country in the first place.

If the framers wanted to remain in a country of second class citizenship, they would have been loyal to the Crown. IE: Those rioters who did commit violence in the summer of love should face the same transparency. Some did, many didn't. Were the molotov cocktails any less important, because of the target?

It's clear why the cameras are there: Orange man, orange suit. The ultimate fantasy of his detractors. The 'transparency' is a naked lie to the truth of the reason people want cameras to be there.

And fine, have at it. But if it's for transparency, every criminal defendant deserves to have their case tried televised. The reason the cameras don't come into the court, is to somewhat protect the defendant especially if he/she's found not guilty of a crime.

 

What ?

It's a fantastic opportunity for Trump to expose all of the DOJ's corruption, electoral fraud and all the shenanigans he's been the victim of in the middle of a trial.

He said he had all the evidence that he won Georgia's election.

He will reveal everything in front of the judge.

What are you afraid of ?

 

Let's play devil's advocate. Let's say the trial happens on television, and far from 'showing the people' the truth(as Schiff imagines it), it will actually embolden Trump's followers. Then it really will be a cult. There's nothing good that's going to come from this kind of event.

How do we know? Well, before the funny man with a mustache became a dictator, he attempted to pull off a coup(a real one, armed resistance and everything.). Everyone knew that the man with a mustache was guilty. But he made an impassioned plea with the sympathetic court, and to the masses of people who heard his 'cause'

The reason we don't allow cameras in court, is to prevent such an opportunity. IE, you wanna talk about trying a case in public there's no better way of accomplishing that, then to give Trump the same opportunity as the guy with a funny mustache.

 

exactly, the only way to win with a guy like Trump is to keep doing your job and ignore him, plus he hates to be ignored by anyone - present the evidence and let the jury decide

 

good comparison, we have to hope Trump's supporters are better than the supporters of the man with a mustache

and the prosecutors better have their ducks in a row, and a solid case

 

the best we can hope for is he is found guilty of any crimes he may of committed... he will never truly be punished, maybe house arrest at worst, but at least it will be in the history books

 

There's a hard-core 35% of Republicans - The MAGA - who would vote for Trump even if he skinned a baby alive on TV.

And those people are already fanatical.

Nothing more can be done for them.

This trial (and the others) will show Trump as he has no control over the events or the content of the narrative.

Everyone will be able to see that Trump is not the victim of a plot from the left.

Cameras are accepted in many state courts.

I have always been for justice to be public and even more in the case of Trump.

If he is found guilty while the public has not been able to see the hearings, his MAGAs will still cry conspiracy.

 

Imagine Trump being legally forced to sit for days on end through his trial and not be able to speak?
Will he have to sit through any of the other defendants trials?
Trump can't take the stand because he's an obsessive liar and it's one thing to lie during your media interviews ,posting on your un-Truth Social site or just being asked a question by reporters,quite another thing to get called out by prosecutors in front of a jury for lying.
Trump will be begging for a no-prison plea deal with his lawyers 100% behind him because no matter how cavalier these lawyers try to come across in public they know damn well he's royally ****ed if he takes the stand.
Trump is petrified letting America and the world know the non-negotiable evidence the prosecutors have against him

 

There's no such thing. The Donald has not been out of character since age three or so.

 

It’s not specific to trump. You haven’t seen other trials on Tv???

 

And there wasn't really TV in the 30's(and certainly not like it is now with phones, tablets, etc.). It's scary to imagine if man with a mustache was born just a generation later(this current era). Man with a mustache with this era's media capability might've actually won the popular vote in his country lol.

All of that to say, the televised trial carries with it a substantial risk to the system. If I were prosecuting Trump, I would be arguing against the cameras.

 

That's not really how it works(unless the judge orders for his presence.). Typically, a common defense tactic(and in fact the go-to) is to have the lawyers represent the client on his behalf. And I would be shocked if we don't see such a motion being filed. The lawyers will litigate the case, meanwhile Trump can continue to campaign.

Now, that would require Trump to actually understand giving up representation TO his lawyers, which would be a bitter pill to swallow but it's one most criminal defendants logically do anyway.

 

You completely misunderstand the argument, of the importance that a former President's trial, be done totally in the open, for all to scrutinize, and see the evidence, for themselves. Otherwise, there is the distinct possibility, that there will be contrasting views of the trial, depicted by different news organizations, thereby exacerbating divisive, dueling perspectives, among the country's citizenry, on whether or not Trump had been railroaded, for political purposes.

If these charges are all a sham-- shouldn't everyone have the opportunity to see that? Likewise, if there is a solid legal foundation for the prosecution, shouldn't those who doubt this, have at least the chance to see this, for themselves, should they care to avail themselves of it?

 

Yep, all that evidence that he was going to inform American about then he cancelled his presser from N.J. Bedwetter Golf and said his lawyers want to present it in court.
Then almost immediately after Trump's cancelled clown show the other clown, Giuliani was on a radio show and claimed to now have "scientific evidence".
It's now been 2 weeks of crickets. lol

 

So trump can keep lying about the evidence and what happens? No way. If he wants to claim this is a witch hunt, The public deserves to judge for themselves.

 

Trump will not be allowed to speak out of turn - it will show him being “controlled” by others AND THAT will overturn his “tough guy” image of the “alpha male”