Robinson Fights Camera Ban in Kirk Shooting Trial

0:00It's April 17th. You're listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Corey with the story. Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old accused of gunning down conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is pushing hard for a judge to kick cameras out of the courtroom. He claims live broadcasts are poisoning the jury pool and wrecking his shot at a fair trial in this aggravated murder case. Others want the death penalty if he's convicted for the September 10th shooting at Utah Valley University in Orom where Kirk was speaking to. Thousands. Robinson heads to court this Friday to fight for that ban. His lawyers argue the streams aren't about fair reporting, but chasing add-dollars, hype, and straight-up smearing him. Robinson hasn't entered a plea yet, and now they're also asking to push back his May preliminary hearing where prosecutors got approved they got. Enough evidence to go to trial. Media groups, prosecutors, and even Kirk's widow, Erica, are all pushing back, saying openness fights off conspiracy theories and fake news better than as secrecy.

1:04They've got backing from folks like University of Utah, law-proffed to Neil Brown, who notes courts got to stay public, but judges in places like Utah call. The shots on cameras. The judge, Tony Graff, already got fed up with strains twice, and once for showing Robinson's shackles, and again, for close-ups that sparked lip-reading. Drama. Media lawyers say controlling the courtroom feed cuts down on biased outside spin without shutting doors. This Friday's ruling could set the tone for how open this high-stakes case stays, balancing Robinson's rights against the public's need to see justice.