(NewsNation) — The buildup to former President Donald Trump’s arraignment certainly felt like the beginning of the trial of the century.
His motorcade, and every move, played out for the world to see on news channels and social media — until he went into federal court. Then, a blackout.
Unlike other recent, high-profile trials like Johnny Depp, O.J. Simpson, and Gwyneth Paltrow, there are no cameras allowed at Trump’s hearings because they will take place in federal court
Federal rules don’t allow cameras or audio recording — leaving some Trump supporters and opponents in agreement on one thing: Those rules should be changed for an extraordinary case like this one.
Former Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz said the best way for Americans to know if this is a just prosecution, a political prosecution — or a combination of both — is to have the case tried on television.
Having television cameras there “allows every American to see for themselves so they don’t get it through the filter, or right-wing idealogues or left-wing ideologues, which tell you what they want you to hear,” Dershowitz said.
Federal judge Aileen Cannon could try and make an exception to the federal rules and allow cameras or a live audio stream — but it would be an extremely unusual move.
Barbara Llanes, a former federal prosecutor, says she doesn’t think an exception will, or should, be made for Trump’s trial.
“There is something to preserving the quality of the proceedings by sticking to the rules we have always had, where we don’t have a media circus,” Llanes said.
It’s not just cameras that aren’t allowed in federal court. Cell phones and laptops are also prohibited.
For journalists, it was like reporting in another century. Many ran to pay phones to call in details of what happened in the hearing to their editors.
“For me, it seemed like going back in time,” NewsNation producer Lauren Powell said. “No connection to the outside world. I have no idea what it was like reporting in the 1800s, but I’m sure this was probably what it was. It was literally a stampede to get out of the building.”