New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Marchon has ruled that news outlets will not be allowed to broadcast the historic impeachment of former US President Donald Trump in a Manhattan state court on Tuesday.
The former president Trump to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Merchan at 2.15 p.m. EST (11.45 p.m. IST) on Tuesday amid tight security. He was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with USD 1,30,000 in hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 US presidential election to cover up an alleged affair.
New York Supreme Court Judge Merchan rejected a request by several media organisations for permission to broadcast the proceedings. However, five still photographers will be allowed to take pictures of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing begins.
Trump’s arraignment is a public proceeding, but news cameras are not usually allowed to broadcast from inside the courtroom, CNN reported. In rejecting the request to broadcast the arraignment, Judge 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,” he wrote. Merchan said that while the media’s request was understandable, the news organisations’ interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against “competing interests.”