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The Trump criminal court proceedings must be televised

"The once unthinkable has now happened: A former president of the United States was indicted on criminal charges in New York City," writes Dan Shelley. "Now, it's time for another once unthinkable development: The Trump criminal court proceedings must be televised."

The laws about whether cameras are allowed in the courtroom differ by jurisdiction, says Shelley, president and CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association. But we need more than sketch artist depictions and verbal descriptions of what happened in highly consequential cases like this one.

The people, he argues, "need to hear directly from the judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys and witnesses. They need to see the evidence shown to the jury. They need to see and hear the verdict rendered at the same moment it is delivered."

And not just in the New York trial but in any court proceedings in which Trump is charged with crimes, including any that stem from the investigation into Trump's role in the Jan. 6 riots and into classified documents seized at Mar-a-Lago.

"The American people must be granted unfiltered courtroom access" to see live the court proceedings in what might be the most important investigation the country has even seen.

Read the op-ed at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill's Views & Opinions newsletter, it's Friday, April 7. I'm Daniel Allott, bringing together a collection of key opinion pieces published from a wide range of voices.

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