On Monday, state Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Brad Hoylman-Sigal introduced legislation to lift the ban on audio-visual equipment in court.
Since the Great Depression, the state of New York has reigned as one of the most restrictive in the country when it comes to court reporting, with long-standing bans on cameras, recording devices and broadcast equipment that are otherwise essential to the public being able to see and hear what takes place in the state’s courtrooms.
With former President Donald Trump scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday to begin what could be the most-scrutinized public proceeding in state history, however, that tradition might come to an end.
Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan on Thursday on allegations that he manipulated business records to offer a hush money payment to former adult film star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence during the 2016 election cycle. Trump is the first former president to face charges in a criminal case. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.
The former president denies any wrongdoing in the matter. His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified that he had paid $130,000 to Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election to stop her from going public about an affair she had with Trump, at Trump’s direction.
