A request made by a group of media organizations, including The New York Times, NBC News, and The Associated Press, to allow cameras inside the federal courthouse in Miami for the arraignment of former President Donald Trump has been denied by a federal magistrate.
The media coalition argued that Trump’s court appearance is a “special proceeding” and should be allowed to be recorded. However, Magistrate Jonathan Goodman rejected this argument and stated that the regular rules for recording in federal courtrooms would be followed, according to the Washington Examiner.
Goodman referred to rule 77.1 of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which prohibits photography unless there are exceptions for “special proceedings” or in the event of a local, state, or national emergency.
In his ruling, Goodman explained that the term “special proceedings” mentioned in the rule is typically associated with proceedings similar to naturalization processes. While he acknowledged the significance and historic nature of the upcoming proceedings involving Trump, he concluded that they do not fall under the category of a naturalization proceeding and, therefore, do not qualify as a “special proceeding” as defined by the rule.
The motion presented by the media coalition did not provide any legal authority or case references supporting the argument that photography should be permitted based on the classification of the first appearance and arraignment as “special proceedings” according to the rule.
On Friday, federal prosecutors revealed an indictment against Trump, accusing him of jeopardizing sensitive national security secrets by mishandling unclassified documents after leaving the White House in 2021, as reported by Reuters.
Trump is scheduled to appear in court for the first time in this case on Tuesday, which also happens to be his 77th birthday.
{Matzav.com}
