Dershowitz Expresses Shock Inside the Courtroom

According to legal expert Alan Dershowitz, the lack of televised coverage of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial is preventing the public from witnessing a judge acting as a “tyrant” and failing to provide a check on partisan reporting. Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor emeritus, attended the trial to witness former federal prosecutor Robert Costello testify.

During the trial, Judge Juan M. Merchan temporarily removed reporters from the courtroom to admonish a witness for raising his eyebrows at the judge. Dershowitz criticized the judge’s actions in a New York Post opinion column, noting the exclusion of relevant defense evidence and the judge’s threat to strike all of Costello’s testimony if he raised his eyebrows again.

Dershowitz condemned the judge’s behavior as unconstitutional and unethical, emphasizing the importance of public visibility in court proceedings to ensure fairness and accountability. He also criticized the biased reporting of partisan journalists, highlighting the need for live televised coverage of trials like Trump’s.

Dershowitz concluded by expressing disbelief at the spectacle he witnessed in court and emphasized the importance of transparency in the judicial system. He cited Justice Louis Brandeis’ famous quote, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” as a reminder of the necessity for openness in legal proceedings.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.