![Donald Trump arrives at the Miami International Airport on Monday](https://cdn.statically.io/img/deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Donald-Trump-Miami.jpg?crop=0px%2C173px%2C2498px%2C1400px&resize=681%2C383)
UPDATE: The judge who will oversee Donald Trump‘s arraignment on Tuesday says that cameras are a no-no in the courtroom and the courthouse.
In fact, reporters won’t even be allowed to use their cellphones and other electronic equipment inside the courthouse, per an order from the chief district judge of the Florida federal court.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, who will preside over the arraignment, has rejected a media coalition request for limited camera access before the proceedings, as well as to make audio available afterward. There will be an overflow room with a video feed, but reporters will have to run outside the courthouse to provide any updates on what is happening inside.
Goodman wrote that “allowing photographs would undermine the massive security arrangements put in place.”
That will be a big change from Trump’s arraignment in April on New York state charges. The judge allowed cameras to take photos for a brief period at the start of the proceedings, and reporters could step outside an overflow room to provide on air updates.
PREVIOUSLY: Broadcast and cable networks already have teams on the ground in Miami for former President Donald Trump’s arraignment Tuesday, but a key question is just what kind of visuals viewers even will get inside the courtroom.
Trump is facing a 37-count indictment over his handling of classified materials after he left the White House. Prosecutors accuse him of trying to conceal the documents even after a subpoena was issued.
On Monday, a coalition of media outlets asked the Miami federal court for “a limited number of photographs and video recordings in the courtroom and/or the outside corridor” before the arraignment, set to begin at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT, according to a filing with federal court in Miami. Such access would be a rarity for federal court, where cameras have traditionally been prohibited for criminal proceedings, as well as for the courthouse itself.
While noting that such access is usually prohibited, the media coalition, which includes the major broadcast networks and CNN, NPR and Telemundo, argued that the historic nature of the case warranted an exception. The coalition noted that the rules of the court provide “judicial discretion to permit limited photographs during ‘special proceedings, as approved by a Judge of this Court.’ And the special and historic nature of this case warrants, at the very least, a limited, non-disruptive visual record before the hearing begins.”
If no cameras are allowed, networks will have to rely on courtroom sketches for visuals, as they always do in high-profile cases.
The coalition also is asking that immediately following the arraignment, the court quickly release its own recordings of the proceedings. “The unprecedented and historic nature of these proceedings warrants same-day access to these recordings,” they wrote.
“The District of Columbia Circuit Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals (among others) place same-day audio of oral arguments and hearings online,” the coalition’s lead attorneys wrote. “In high-profile cases, the U.S. Supreme Court frequently releases same-day (or soon thereafter) audio recordings of proceedings. And in the interest of speed and accuracy, some courts will even live-stream high-profile proceedings.”
In April, as Trump appeared in New York court to be arraigned on state charges, the judge allowed still photographers brief access to the courtroom. But news outlets had to initially rely on their own reporters to convey the proceedings, rather than on any audio or video, before the written transcript was released later in the afternoon.
The coalition wrote in their filing that the “need for immediate audio recordings is further heightened by the tense political atmospherics of this case. Because Mr. Trump has alleged that this entire case is an illegitimate witch hunt, the actions of the judiciary, prosecution, and defense will receive exceptional
scrutiny, and any informational vacuum will be filled with wild speculation and conjecture. Complete transparency — in the form of swift availability of audio recordings — will both ensure the integrity and legitimacy of the case and keep Americans informed about this critically important matter.”
Trump turned himself in in the New York case in April, but no booking photo was released. It’s not clear whether there will be a mugshot in this federal case.
Trump will appear before Magistrate Judge John Goodman on Tuesday and is expected to plead not guilty. Then he’s expected to be released, and plans to deliver a speech later in the evening.
Cable news networks will be covering the arraignment throughout the day, as they did in April, when the scene outside the courthouse in Manhattan had a carnival-like atmosphere. Networks already have been showing footage of Trump’s trek from New Jersey to Florida.
In Miami, there are concerns about security, with the possibility of protests as rhetoric heats up on right-wing social media. The city’s police chief, though, told reporters that even though they have resources to handle crowds of 5,000 to 50,000, “we don’t expect any issues.”
Broadcast networks are planning special reports.
CBS News‘ Norah O’Donnell will anchor a special report from Miami and the CBS Evening News from there. NBC News’ Lester Holt also will anchor a special report of the arraignment, and other outlets also are expected to announce their plans soon.