On August 24, 2023, Donald J. Trump surrendered at the Fulton County, Georgia, jail. He was charged with plans to overturn the 2020 election and will stand trial on an undetermined date sometime next year.
We knew that this trial would be different than Trump’s other currently pending cases for a number of reasons, including a heightened degree of transparency. We now know that Trump, along with 18 codefendants, will have their court appearance livestreamed via YouTube on the Fulton County Court’s channel. Double check your WiFi connection right now, just in case!
The disgraced former president has been arrested four times in 2023 and can now claim the title of “First American President With a Mugshot.” Big honor, very big. HUUUGE.
Every defendant in Trump’s case, all 19 of them, has pled not guilty to the charges they face; a bold legal strategy, considering the strong evidence stacked against them.
Trump is also currently juggling cases in New York, D.C., and Florida, which will not have streaming availability. One of Trump’s co-defendants, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, is currently petitioning to have his trial moved to a U.S. district court. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes, “If Meadows is successful in his bid to relocate his case, the other defendants could join him.” And if that happens, we will likely be robbed of the possibility of livestreaming.
While abstaining from that disaster/spectacle would almost definitely be best for our collective mental well-being, we’d at least like to have the option available to us.
(featured image: Sony Pictures)
