Why Americans can't see or hear what is going on at the Trump trial
It's a moment in history—the first U.S. president facing criminal charges in an American courtroom. Yet only a handful of observers are able to see or even hear what is going on.
Instead, most of the nation is getting news of former President Donald Trump's hush money trial secondhand. Starting with preliminary motions and jury selection Monday, reporters in a Manhattan courtroom must convey what is being said to the outside world after the fact.
That's all because New York state law regarding media coverage of court proceedings is one of the most restrictive in the country. Last week's death of O.J. Simpson, whose murder trial beamed live from a California courtroom captivated a nation three decades ago, was a telling reminder of how New York is behind the times—or, at least, a holdout.