The first January 6th defendant is finally going to trial more than one year after the Capitol riot occurred. The trial will be closed to the public, and the media will be barred.
So much for a speedy trial, but hey, an abuse of constitutional rights is nothing new when it comes to January 6th arrestees.
Those who were not lucky enough to be released on bail were held in 23 hours a day solitary confinement, a step that Democrat Elizabeth Warren described as a form of punishment that is “cruel and psychologically damaging”.
“And we’re talking about people who haven’t been convicted of anything yet,” the unlikely Democrat ally said. She’s right, nobody who has not been convicted of a crime should ever be punished by the government.
The Washington Times reported. The heightened privacy in the trial of Texas resident Guy Reffitt, 48, was ordered because of space concerns, according to Judge Dabney Friedrich who made the call.
Reffitt is accused of having brought a firearm to the riot, having assaulted officers, a d threatening his children to keep them quiet about his involvement. The defendant pled not guilty to all counts.
The press will be allowed to view the trial on a closed-circuit TV to allow reporting. Some media groups have filed motions, hoping to gain partial access to the courtroom.
“Even with the accommodations of media rooms, overflow courtrooms, and the facilitated release of exhibits, the First Amendment and clear Supreme Court precedent require public access to the trial courtroom itself,” asserted one filing.