Fight for cameras in Charlie Kirk assassination case gets boost from top Republican

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the president of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has waded into the combat to let cameras successful tribunal for Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah antheral accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk.

Grassley, who has agelong supported the thought of allowing cameras into national courtrooms, wherever they're presently banned, referred to Kirk's slaying arsenic 1 of the "pivotal moments successful history" and argued that specified cases should play retired earlier the nationalist eye.

"I privation to compliment Erika Kirk, woman of assassinated blimpish person Charlie Kirk. She has made an affectional entreaty to person cameras successful the courtroom astatine the proceedings of her husband’s [alleged] murderer," helium said connected the Senate level Tuesday. "I commend her for this brave plea, due to the fact that it fits successful with a basal I’ve been taking for the past mates of decades."

CHARLIE KIRK'S WIDOW FIGHTS TO KEEP NEWS CAMERAS IN COURTROOM FOR ACCUSED ASSASSIN'S TRIAL

Charlie Kirk was a blimpish activistic who led Turning Point USA. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

Most states, including Utah, let cameras successful their courtrooms, oregon astatine slightest springiness judges discretion, helium said. But federally, determination are nary cameras. Robinson is facing state-level charges.

In an October question seeking support to person him look successful civilian apparel and without shackles, Robinson's lawyers argued that national courts person upheld that restrictions connected cameras successful the courtroom bash not interruption the media's First Amendment rights. 

Utah Judge Tony Graf granted his question to deterioration regular clothes, denied his question to look without shackles and held disconnected a determination connected the camera contented aft telling some sides to travel up with caller briefs.

Separately, helium has allowed Robinson to be his past 2 nationalist hearings remotely, without being connected camera.

LAWYERS FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN ASK TO BAN COURTROOM CAMERAS AMID ‘CONTENT TORNADO’

Erika Kirk speaks during a "This Is the Turning Point" field circuit lawsuit astatine the University of Mississippi, successful Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Robinson is owed backmost successful tribunal connected Jan. 16, 2026. Graf has truthful acold allowed some quality cameras successful the courtroom and a court-operated nationalist livestream, but lawyers connected the lawsuit person indicated they would enactment limits oregon an outright prohibition connected quality cameras.

Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, told Fox News' Jesse Watters this week she supports keeping the cameras successful place.

"There were cameras each implicit my hubby erstwhile helium was murdered," she said. "There person been cameras each implicit my friends and household mourning. There person been cameras each implicit me, analyzing my each move, analyzing my each smile, my each tear. We merit to person cameras successful there."

CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN RETURNS TO COURT — WITHOUT SHOWING HIS FACE

Tyler Robinson, 22, the fishy successful the shooting decease of Charlie Kirk, appears by camera earlier 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf connected Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, for his archetypal tribunal quality successful Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton/Pool via Deseret News)

Criminal defendants person a close to a just trial, but not to privateness oregon to effort and minimize nationalist involvement successful the case, said Royal Oakes, a Los Angeles-based media lawyer who successfully argued to person quality cameras successful tribunal for OJ Simpson's 1990s execution trial.

"A much accepted statement for courtroom transparency is the close of the nationalist to spot its justness strategy astatine work," helium told Fox News Digital. "But Erika Kirk is close to telephone for broadcasting of tribunal proceedings because, whether the accused is recovered blameworthy oregon not, citizens are entitled to observe hearings and a trial, and marque up their ain minds astir the allegations."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

To lick the national issue, Grassley has sponsored 2 bipartisan bills – the Sunshine successful the Courtroom Act, which would springiness each national judges the authorization to let cameras successful their courtrooms, and the Cameras successful the Courtroom Act, which would person the U.S. Supreme Court televise each unfastened sessions unless a bulk of justices judge doing truthful would interruption owed process.