FILE – Former President Donald Trump arrives to board his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Aug. 3, 2023, in Arlington, Va., after facing a judge on federal conspiracy charges that allege he conspired to subvert the 2020 election. Trump and his legal team face long odds in their bid to move his 2020 election conspiracy trial out of Washington. They argue the Republican former president can’t possibly get a fair trial in the overwhelmingly Democratic nation’s capital.
If Donald Trump is indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, it will not be the first time the former president will answer to criminal charges in a courtroom. But this time, the entire process will likely play out on live television.
Unlike federal or Manhattan courts, where the former president appeared for his three previous arraignments, Georgia law requires that cameras be allowed into judicial proceedings with a judge’s approval.
In 2018, the Georgia Supreme Court, in an order amending the law to include smartphones, underscored the importance of transparency: “Open courtrooms are an indispensable element of an effective and respected judicial system."
And unlike in New York, where Trump told the world he had been indicted but the public had to wait days until the document was unsealed, Georgia requires that indictments be made public immediately.
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The presiding judge has the final say on camera access. Media organizations are required to file a formal request, known as a Rule 22, for the judge’s consideration. The filing is often considered more of a formality, as the requests are almost always granted.
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