Aug 31, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Trump's Georgia trial will be televised, judge says

April Rubin

Photo illustration of a stack of televisions showing various images of Donald Trump on the screens. — Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Getty Images

All court proceedings in former President Trump's Georgia trial will be viewable by the public, a judge ruled Thursday.

Why it matters: The trial related to 2020 election interference will be the first and only one televised among Trump's four indictments, which could have political repercussions for the GOP presidential frontrunner.

Driving the news: The use of cellphones and laptops "will not disrupt the administration of justice," Judge Scott McAfee of the Superior Court of Fulton County wrote in the court order on Thursday.

"All parties and spectators are allowed to use recording devices," McAfee wrote.

Zoom out: The Georgia case has already yielded the first ever mugshot of a current or former U.S. president.

Trump is joined by 18 co-defendants in Fulton County, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and former Trump lawyer and mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani.

Of note: Federal and New York courts, where Trump's other indictments occurred, do not allow cameras inside the courtroom.

Georgia law considers cameras in the courtroom central to transparency.

What to watch: His arraignment in Fulton County, Georgia, is scheduled for Sept. 6.

Go deeper: Cameras and codefendants: Why Trump's Georgia arraignment will be most dramatic

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Trump's Georgia trial will be televised, judge says

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