What it’s like in court during Donald Trump’s ‘hush money’ trial

NEW YORK – We are entering a crucial time ‘Hush Money’ Trial of Former President Donald Trump.

Closing arguments in the case are expected to begin Tuesday. The jury is expected to hear the case on Wednesday.

What was it like in the courtroom during the trial? CBS New York’s Alice Gainer gives us a behind-the-scenes look with a reporter’s notebook.

The days start early

The day starts early and my alarm goes off at 5:45 am.

I feel anxious to go to court, which is enough to get me out of bed immediately without having to hit snooze.

Reporters should line up outside 100 Center Street well before the courthouse opens at 8 a.m.

Those on the list for the main courtroom wait just outside one of the main entrances, partially under scaffolding. It’s been over a month now and many of us are suffering from lack of sleep, long hours, the amount of mints we’ve consumed all day in court, as well as stiff necks and sore backs from leaning over our typing on laptops. Sometimes we share highlights of witness statements from the day before.

Other people trying to enter the overflow room to watch the proceedings on monitors wait next to the park across the street in three separate lines: one for the press with secure passes, one for regular press passes and another for the public .

Don’t come hungry and be prepared to sit still

Normally I don’t feel hungry this early in the morning, but before I leave I force myself to eat some oatmeal, fruit, water and coffee. We don’t do any manual labor here, but sitting still (and I mean not moving) on ​​a wooden bench all day can be very exhausting. Plus, the courtroom is pretty quiet and you don’t want your stomach growling, hence all the coin consumption.

I contact a court official and give my name and number on the list, which happens to be number 45. That number immediately caught my eye when it was awarded, as the former 45th President of the United States is on trial.

Although the mornings start early due to security screenings, I am grateful for all the pre-trial planning efforts between journalists, lawyers and court representatives. Every news outlet having a guaranteed seat in the main courtroom means we don’t have to hire someone, or wait in a line 24 hours in advance hoping to get a seat, which is what we did for the arraignment and the civil fraud trial.

Once I’ve been given my color-coded ticket for the day and reminded to take it everywhere, we head inside for two security checks.

Where you sit in the morning and afternoon is always different. It really depends on which security line you choose to go through. One may be faster than the other and you may watch as the people who were waiting in line at the courthouse that morning now move ahead of you in the hallway for a seat closer to the front.

Once inside the courtroom on the 15th floor, you better quickly set up your Wi-Fi hotspot and put away your cell phone. There is public WiFi, but it can be spotty at times, which isn’t great when you have a newsroom full of people that you need to update in real time.

Court officials don’t mess around and have verbally abused countless people. They do a great job keeping it safe and orderly, but sometimes I feel transported back to grade school.

Hurry up and wait

We usually sit inside for a full hour before the trial starts. You can’t get up and stretch. You have to sit, and if you need to go to the toilet, wait until they say you can – and don’t forget your colour-coded ticket.

There are times when we sit very still as we await the arrival of the former president and his defense team.

We always know when he’s about to come in because we can hear the shouts of reporters in the hallway and a Secret Service agent comes in first.

Former President Trump in court

As former President Trump enters, he scans the gallery of reporters. Although he usually has a frown on his face, I have also seen him gesture to someone he knows, smile, wink, and just stare for a few seconds.

When court is in session, depending on where you sit in the courtroom, a court officer may block your view of the witness stand or the suspect.

There are several large monitors where, if you have excellent vision or binoculars like me, you can see close-ups of faces.

During other trials I had seen courtroom performers and another producer from another network using binoculars, and on the second day of the trial I started taking some with me so I wouldn’t miss anything. Court officials will tell you to put down your binoculars during sidebars and when the parties are looking at something on the screens in front of them that has not been entered into evidence.

Trump has talked quite a bit about the temperature in the courtroom. Although it was cold at times, it was also very warm. The curtains are closed in the courtroom and I don’t think the windows should be opened for security reasons.

The track start is scheduled for 9:30 am and it sometimes starts a few minutes earlier, which is great because we’ve all been ready to go for at least an hour.

Come prepared

An external battery charger is a must. As a reporter, I take notes on my laptop all day. A few of my fellow journalists have noted in their conversations that it has been non-stop. There really haven’t been any breaks in the day where you get a break from taking detailed notes.

When Stormy Daniels took the standshe started talking quite quickly – so fast that she was asked to slow down a few times, which sometimes made it difficult to keep up.

When someone says something remarkable or quotable, the decibel level of fingers hitting keys goes up a few notches. I purposefully kept my fingernails short to reduce noise and increase speed when typing.

In addition to notes, I tried live tweeting key moments during the trial, while also emailing you station updates.

What’s for lunch

During the lunch break, I choose to stay in the courthouse to save time. One less security check to go through. Some other journalists have the same idea.

I’m usually not a big lunch person at work either, but then again, the early hours have my body completely out of whack, so I usually eat a granola bar, banana, PB&J, or carrots to stave off that rumbling stomach feeling. courtroom as soon as we get back.

I try to start writing my scripts for the newscasts during lunch, although afternoon witness statements sometimes produce slightly earlier written old news.

Jurors pay close attention

The jury paid close attention. Sometimes it looks like a tennis match as they move their heads from the lawyer asking the questions to the witness stand.

I’ve seen a lot of people taking notes.

The judges are anonymous to the public, so we refrain from making any physical descriptions of them.

Preparing for the broadcast

Usually I have to leave the courtroom at half past three during the lunch break so that I can go outside to follow up on my piece for the 5 p.m. news. If I wait later than 4:30 p.m., there’s a chance I’ll get stuck in the courtroom and won’t be able to leave until Trump does, which would jeopardize my piece and the live taping at 5 p.m. Because again, there are times when we’re frozen when he’s on the road, and at the end of the day he likes to talk to the cameras in the hallway for a long time.

If something happens between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM, I rely on notes from our network colleagues, including in the courthouse.

I have dealt with the former president in civil court before, the difference here is that this is a criminal court. He is quieter in this courtroom, although the judge did have to say something to Trump’s lawyers afterwards he said Trump audibly cursed during Daniels’ testimony. I have looked at Trump in previous trials stand up and walk out of the courtroom when he wanted to, and that’s not possible here. There is something about a courtroom that makes a person so human.

What it’s like to see Trump in court

I’ve often been asked what it’s like to see him in court, and I think that when you take someone out of his element and see him in court, it’s in many ways similar to many of the other court cases I’ve covered in this book. have treated. courthouse. I also said that last year after his arraignment, much to the surprise of our presenters.

After a prospective juror was dismissed during the selection process, I noticed her saying much the same thing in an interview: that it was like watching “just another guy.” It’s hard to describe unless you see it yourself.

Much has been written about the courtroom itself where the trial takes place. I think it’s gross. It is certainly not as ornate as the other courthouses around the corner. I’m so used to hearing cases here that I don’t even notice it anymore, and I’m too focused on making sure I don’t miss a moment of telling the public the details of the first former president to stand trial on criminal charges persecution. Only so many of us can be inside to bear witness, and the responsibility for that is not lost on me.