After attorneys asked a judge to limit media access in the criminal case against Tyler James Robinson, charged with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, news organizations have banded together to argue to keep the case open.
Spearheaded by The Salt Lake Tribune and its reporter Jessica Schreifels, the coalition of 14 news organizations filed a motion Wednesday asking the court to notify them of any future requests to limit access to proceedings. Media attorney Michael Judd further asked 4th District Judge Tony F. Graf Jr. to allow the news organizations to weigh in on any closure requests.
The media group is a mix of local Utah outlets and national news organizations, including the New York Times, CNN, the Associated Press and Fox News.
Kirk’s death and the ensuing criminal proceedings against Robinson have garnered extraordinary media attention and coverage at the Provo courthouse where hearings have taken place.
“Unsurprisingly,” Judd wrote, “both parties have attempted to chip away at those access rights almost immediately.”
The group — formally called the “media intervenors” — also are “seeking relief for an infringement” the members said already happened.
That infringement, Judd argued, occurred when the Utah County Sheriff’s Office was allowed to file a court response under seal — where, a later legal filing revealed, the office requested that Graf limit media coverage in the courtroom so that Robinson’s appearance wouldn’t be made public.
The response was part of a larger legal argument about whether Robinson should be unshackled in court and allowed to wear plain clothes in an effort to keep his trial fair. Graf had allowed the sheriff’s office to file the motion under seal because law enforcement had also detailed security protocols in it.
Read more at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.