NY courts to release daily transcripts, here’s how to find them

(NEXSTAR) – While you still can’t watch the trial of former President Donald Trump, you can now read daily transcripts of the historic hush money proceedings, the New York Court System announced Monday.

Calling it a “novel step,” a spokesperson for the courts said a decision was made to post transcripts on the New York State Unified Court System website before the end of the following business day. The decision was made to “ensure broad and continuous public access to this extraordinarily high-profile case.”

New York state law regarding media coverage of court proceedings is one of the most restrictive in the country.

Regulations limiting media coverage in courtrooms date back nearly a century, when the spectacle of bright flashbulbs and camera operators standing on witness tables during the 1935 trial of the man accused of kidnapping and killing Charles Lindbergh’s baby son horrified the legal community, according to a 2022 report by the New York-based Fund for Modern Courts.

Yet an interest in open government chipped away at these laws and — slowly, carefully — video cameras began to be permitted in courts across the country, often at the discretion of judges presiding in individual cases.

New York allowed them, too, on an experimental basis between 1987 and 1997, but they were shut down.

“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,” said Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas in a statement. “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.”

Monday marked the first day of the argument phase after prosecutors and Trump’s defense team wrapped up jury selection last week.

Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, told reporters on his way out of the courtroom that things went “very well” Monday.

The 77-year-old former president is accused of trying to cover up payments to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

If convicted, he could face probation or up to four years behind bars.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.