Here’s When He’ll Appear In Court—And Why You’ll Have To Wait To Hear About It

Topline

Former President Donald Trump will surrender to law enforcement in Miami Tuesday after being federally indicted on 37 counts linked to classified White House documents stored at Mar-A-Lago, a historic first for a former president—but rulings Monday night ensured Americans will not be able to tune into the ex-president’s court appearance as it happens.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at the Miami International Airport June 12 in Miami, Florida.

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Key Facts

Trump will appear at the federal courthouse in Miami at 3 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, where he’s expected to appear before a magistrate judge for an initial court appearance and plead not guilty to the 37 felony counts against him.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, who will oversee the arraignment, struck down a request from media organizations to allow recordings of the proceedings and cameras inside the courtroom, meaning there will be no photographs of Trump inside the courtroom, no video recording of the arraignment and no audio recording that will be publicly released.

“Allowing photographs would undermine the massive security arrangements put in place,” Goodman wrote.

Journalists covering the arraignment from inside the courtroom or in an overflow room are also not allowed to have cell phones or other electronics to share updates on the hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonga, the chief judge for the Southern District of Florida, ruled Monday night.

That means Americans will have to wait for the court hearing to end before finding out what happened.

A transcript of the hearing will be released, likely soon after the hearing on Tuesday, Goodman noted.

What To Watch For

Trump is not expected to make a statement in Florida Tuesday, but will rather speak to the media at 8:15 p.m. from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He is not expected to be held in custody after surrendering to law enforcement, and it remains unclear when his case could move forward to a trial, though Trump and Justice Department attorneys are likely to suggest timelines during the court appearance on Tuesday.

Surprising Fact

Trump’s case has been controversially assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who was widely criticized by legal experts for her decision appointing a third-party special master to review the White House documents federal agents seized at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate, which was later overturned. Cannon will not oversee Trump’s arraignment hearing, however, as such hearings in the Southern District of Florida are overseen by a magistrate judge instead. In his ruling striking down the request for cameras in the courtroom, Goodman noted his involvement with Trump’s case would “almost certainly end tomorrow,” and said it would be up to Cannon to decide if any cameras or recordings should be allowed in future hearings in the case.

What We Don’t Know

What protests at the courthouse will look like as Trump appears before the court. Law enforcement has said they’re prepared with “adequate forces” to respond to any possible unrest that could break out, as Trump allies including failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, activist Laura Loomer and the Proud Boys have shared plans for protests at the courthouse. While Trump has called for protesters to be “peaceful,” there are fears there could be unrest, with Lake saying that if anyone tries to hurt Trump, “they’re going to have to come through me and … 300 million others just like me.” “Most of us are NRA members,” Lake added. “That is not a threat, that is a public service announcement.”

Key Background

Trump was federally indicted last week following a year-long investigation by the DOJ into the ex-president storing White House documents, including classified materials, at Mar-A-Lago, and allegedly obstructing that probe by failing to turn over documents when subpoenaed. The DOJ charged Trump with 31 counts of violating the Espionage Act by willfully retaining national defense information, along with charges related to obstruction and making false statements. Documents found at Mar-A-Lago “could put at risk the national security of the United States,” the DOJ noted in the indictment, detailing how Trump allegedly stored documents throughout Mar-A-Lago—including in his bathroom—showed them to others, and then allegedly tried to obstruct the DOJ’s investigation by concealing the documents when the agency issued a subpoena for them. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case against him, saying after his indictment that he is an “INNOCENT MAN” and decrying the probe as a “WITCH HUNT.”