New York, April 3 (CNN) - The lawyers representing former US President Donald Trump told a New York judge on Monday that they oppose media outlets' requests to broadcast his upcoming arraignment in court.
The request by media outlets for live coverage of the arraignment has been met with resistance from Trump's legal team. In a letter to Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchant, lawyers argued that broadcasting the arraignment would create "a circus-like atmosphere" and raise unique security concerns. They also claimed that allowing cameras and video recording in the courtroom could only heighten these serious concerns.
Trump's attorneys cited potential Secret Service-related concerns and pointed out that any video or photography of the proceedings would add to the already tense situation. Among those signing the new letter was Todd Blanche, who recently joined Trump's legal team.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office also responded to the media outlets' request, stating that they are deferring to the judge's decision on how best to manage the courtroom. However, their response suggested that excluding or restricting videography and photography might be a possible solution to avoid potential prejudice to the defendant, maintaining an orderly proceeding, or ensuring the safety of participants.
Despite this, prosecutors noted that there is no categorical prohibition on cameras during an arraignment under existing New York statutes and case law. However, they stopped short of opposing the request outright, pointing out that similar requests have been made for previous high-profile cases.
It remains to be seen how Judge Merchant will rule on the media outlets' requests for coverage of Trump's arraignment.
The request by media outlets for live coverage of the arraignment has been met with resistance from Trump's legal team. In a letter to Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchant, lawyers argued that broadcasting the arraignment would create "a circus-like atmosphere" and raise unique security concerns. They also claimed that allowing cameras and video recording in the courtroom could only heighten these serious concerns.
Trump's attorneys cited potential Secret Service-related concerns and pointed out that any video or photography of the proceedings would add to the already tense situation. Among those signing the new letter was Todd Blanche, who recently joined Trump's legal team.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office also responded to the media outlets' request, stating that they are deferring to the judge's decision on how best to manage the courtroom. However, their response suggested that excluding or restricting videography and photography might be a possible solution to avoid potential prejudice to the defendant, maintaining an orderly proceeding, or ensuring the safety of participants.
Despite this, prosecutors noted that there is no categorical prohibition on cameras during an arraignment under existing New York statutes and case law. However, they stopped short of opposing the request outright, pointing out that similar requests have been made for previous high-profile cases.
It remains to be seen how Judge Merchant will rule on the media outlets' requests for coverage of Trump's arraignment.
anyone else think we're running out of time? trump's team trying to keep his arraignment private and now the prosecutor is like "let's just chill" meanwhile we got bigger issues than a reality TV star's courtroom drama 
what's next, are they gonna keep us in the dark about the climate crisis too? 
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. And honestly, I'm kinda curious to see how this all plays out. Will they actually be able to keep everyone from getting a shot of him? It's gonna be interesting to see what happens next 
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. Can't Trump just take one for the team and let people see what's really going on?
They're worried about security and making it feel like a circus in there, which I get, it could be pretty intense. But at the same time, you'd think that journalists would want to report on this historic event? It's all about balance, right? 
The thought of a "circus-like atmosphere" in the courtroom is already pretty unsettling. And can you imagine the security concerns? It's like, we're trying to figure out how to live our best lives without Trump being all over the news, and now we have to worry about cameras and Secret Service agents everywhere? 
. Trump's team is totally right about creating a circus-like atmosphere, it could get pretty chaotic... but on the other hand, it's also kinda important for us to see what's going down, you know? It's like we're all invested in this story, and it feels like we need to be kept in the loop 
. What do you think tho? Should cameras be allowed or not? 
anywayz, judge merchant gotta make da call, probly w/ cameras and all that jazz
And what's with the secrecy surrounding Trump's team? Are they really worried about cameras capturing every little detail of this event? 
I guess only time will tell how Judge Merchant rules, but I hope whoever is in the courtroom gets a decent view – it could make for some juicy news 
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by saying they'll defer to the judge's decision. Meanwhile, we can't wait to see how this whole thing plays out 
! Will there be cameras in the courtroom? Only time will tell 
but i guess it makes sense that they dont wanna mess up the arraignment proceedings like how our teacher always says to keep the noise level down during presentations 
it's like they're worried someone will get mobbed or something but honestly, wouldn't that just add to the drama 
? and what about free press rights? shouldn't journalists be able to cover public events in a democracy? 
The DA's office seems to be taking a chill pill and deferring to the judge, which is fair, but still... this feels like a PR move by Trump's team to control the narrative. 
What do you guys think? Should cameras be allowed in court for high-profile cases like this? 
. I get why the Secret Service would be freaked out about cameras being around, but come on, it's not like they're trying to hide anything 
