The entire country is moving through uncharted territory, with the first-ever federal indictment of a former president of the United States playing out in Miami. Last week, a grand jury of Miami residents charged Donald Trump with 37 federal counts, ranging from the willful retention of national defense information to obstructing justice and making false statements. Given the historic and unprecedented nature of the case, it is clear that the public must be able to watch justice being done.
At its core, the federal indictment paints a picture of a president who thought he was above the law. Recorded conversations between Trump and his lawyers appear to demonstrate that he knowingly kept classified information and failed to turn it over when he was specifically asked. Put simply, the indictment sends a message to the country that no one—even a former president—can escape justice and accountability.
What happens next is arguably even more important, though. After Trump’s brief stint at a Miami courthouse, the federal judge overseeing the case, Aileen Cannon, will begin the trial process. Lawyers for both Donald Trump and the special counsel’s team will present their evidence in front of a jury made up of ordinary citizens. Witnesses will be cross-examined. Eventually, a verdict will be rendered.
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Under current circumstances and guidelines, however, Americans will not be able to see this process unfold. Federal judges largely remain resistant to the idea of cameras inside courtrooms. And, even when cameras have been permitted, it has been for specific and narrowly tailored purposes, such as investitures, naturalizations, or other ceremonial proceedings. Those opposed to cameras in the courtroom believe allowing them could make lawyers more nervous or sway jurors.
While such arguments have some validity in general, this case is different. To show the world that we are a nation in which no one is above the law, there must be an exception for the trial of United States v. Donald Trump. Televising Trump’s trial will show that our justice system still works. It will demonstrate that not even former presidents can skirt our laws.
Even more important is that having cameras in the courtroom could spur an entire generation of young people to pay attention and become more active participants in our democracy.
Allowing cameras in the courtroom for United States v. Trump—and, hopefully in other federal cases, too—could mark an important step to restoring trust in our courts. To date, nearly half of young people say they have “little confidence” in our justice system. That number skyrocketed after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, but the number is high also because there is little transparency into what a courtroom is like. Although live streaming the Trump trial likely will not completely repair the perception of our legal system, it will demonstrate that even people with tremendous wealth, privilege, and power, can’t run away from justice and accountability.
Permitting cameras in the courtroom will reach millions of young people in a way written reports cannot. And when young people see Trump—as the former president of the United States and leading contender in the Republican presidential race—they will see a legal system that is doing exactly what it was meant to do. Just like the jurors inside the courtroom, young people will hear the evidence, they will hear Trump in his own words, should he take the stand, and they will discuss it with their peers—especially on social media.
Bringing this case directly to the American people would not only send a strong message that we are a nation that is still governed by laws, but it could also spark the type of change and civic awareness that our country so desperately needs.
For the good of our country, for the message it would send to young people, for the sake of history: allow cameras to be in the courtroom of United States v. Donald Trump.
Victor Shi is the host of On the Move with Victor Shi, co-host of iGen Politics Podcast, strategy director for Voters of Tomorrow, and a junior at UCLA. He was the youngest delegate for Joe Biden in 2020. Follow him on Twitter at @victorshi2020.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
