No electronics in courtroom for Trump’s arraignment, judge says

There will be no electronics and limited photography allowed during former President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated arraignment Tuesday, a New York judge announced Monday night.

“That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed,” New York Justice Juan Merchan said in a ruling late Monday night. “Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted.”

But Merchan declined reporters’ requests to have video cameras in the room for the proceedings, banning the use of “cell phones, laptops or any electronic devices,” in the courtroom. However, five pool reporters will be allowed “to take still photos for several minutes,” and cameras can be used in the hallways of the courthouse, Merchan ruled.

“The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous,” he wrote.

Reporters will be allowed to enter the courtroom on a first-come, first-served basis. The line to enter had already begun forming by 3 p.m. Monday afternoon, according to a reporter on the scene. The proceedings are set to begin at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.

The decision to keep video cameras out of the courthouse during the arraignment is a win for Trump’s lawyers, who filed a motion asking Merchan to ban them so as not to “create a circus-like atmosphere,” in the room.