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FACT BRIEF

Is it a cover-up that Ghislaine Maxwell's trial isn't on TV?

By Alexis Tereszcuk
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NO

Some people on social media see a suspicious difference between the way Kyle Rittenhouse's and Ghislaine Maxwell's trials are being treated:

His trial in Wisconsin state court on homicide charges featured television cameras and live-streaming.

Her trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on sex trafficking charges has only a courtroom artist.

This is not due to a cover-up, but the fact that the courts have different policies governing electronic media.

Wisconsin's rule on Equipment and Personnel authorizes television cameras "in any court proceeding," at the trial judge's discretion.

In contrast, Southern New York's rule bans everyone but court officials engaged in court conduct from bringing "any camera, transmitter, receiver, recording device, cellular telephone, computer or other electronic device into any courthouse." The chief judge may authorize an exception, but it's never been done.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Courts History of Cameras in Courts
Wisconsin Court System Rules governing electronic media and still photography coverage of judicial proceedings
United States District Court Southern District of New York Local Rules of the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.