(NEXSTAR) – While you still can’t watch the trial of former President Donald Trump, you can now read daily transcripts of the historic hush money proceedings, as announced by the New York Court System on Monday.
Calling it a “new step,” a spokesperson for the courts said a decision was made to publish transcripts on the New York State Unified Court System website before the end of the following business day. The decision was made to “make sure many people can see this very important case.”
New York state law about media coverage of court proceedings is one of the strictest in the country.
Rules limiting media coverage in courtrooms go back almost a century, when the show of bright flashbulbs and camera operators standing on witness tables during the 1935 trial of the man accused of kidnapping and killing Charles Lindbergh’s baby son shocked the legal community, as mentioned in a 2022 report by the New York-based Fund for Modern Courts.
However, an interest in transparent government gradually changed these laws and — slowly, carefully — video cameras began to be allowed in courts across the country, often at the decision of judges presiding in individual cases.
New York allowed them, too, on a trial basis between 1987 and 1997, but they were stopped.
“With current law limiting the broadcasting of trial proceedings and courtroom space
for public spectators very limited, the release of the daily transcripts on the court
system’s website is the best way to give the public a direct view of the proceedings in this historic trial,” said Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas in a statement. “This measure is in the interest of the public good and aligns with the court system’s commitment to judicial transparency and its ongoing efforts to enhance public access to, and understanding of, the courts and justice system.”
Monday was the start of the argument phase after prosecutors and Trump’s defense team finished jury selection last week.
Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, told reporters on his way out of the courtroom that things went “very well” Monday.
The 77-year-old former president is accused of trying to cover up payments to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, before the 2016 presidential election.
If found guilty, he could be put on probation or face up to four years in jail.
