Trump trial transcripts to be posted online
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Daily transcripts from the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump will be posted online to be viewed by the press and public free of charge, court leadership announced on Monday. AP file photo by Yuki Iwamura/Pool
By Jacob Kaye
As an unprecedented criminal trail got underway in Manhattan on Monday, the court system announced it would be taking a similarly unprecedented step in bringing the trial to the press and the public.
The leadership of New York’s court system on Monday announced that the trial transcripts of The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump will be published online and be made free to view on the court system’s website.
Trial transcripts are typically far less easy to obtain and can often cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
The announcement was made by Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas, who served as a judge for a decade in the same borough the former president on trial for charges related to hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels was born in.
In a statement, Zayas said the move to make the transcript public and free was brought on by the intense public interest in the case and the limited availability to view it live or in person.
“With current law restricting the broadcasting of trial proceedings and courtroom space for public spectators very limited, the release of the daily transcripts on the court system’s website is the best way to provide the public a direct view of the proceedings in this historic trial,” Zayas said.
“This measure is in the interest of the public good and aligns with the court system’s commitment to judicial transparency and its ongoing efforts to enhance public access to, and understanding of, the courts and justice system,” he added.
The transcripts from each day of the trial will be posted on the court’s website at https://ww2.nycourts.gov/press/index.shtml before the end of the following business day.
“This historic case, which has generated unparalleled public interest, calls for this historic step by the court system,” First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George said in a statement. “I am pleased to join Chief Administrative Judge Zayas in announcing that the trial transcripts – providing a word-for-word account of the proceedings – will be posted daily on our website, giving the public ready access to the full, accurate court record.”
“This will serve to enhance public understanding of the trial with minimum disruption to the courtroom proceedings,” he added.
Opening statements in the case began on Monday following a week of jury selection which garnered similar public interest.
The case marks the first time criminal charges against a former president have been brought by prosecutors and presented to a jury.
Prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office claim that Trump falsified business records when he ordered his former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen to pay Daniels $130,000 in the final days of the 2016 presidential race in an effort to prevent her from speaking to the press about her claim that she and the former Jamaica Estates resident had an affair.
The trial is being overseen by Judge Juan Merchan, who, like Trump, was raised in the World’s Borough.
