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SALT LAKE CITY — <\/span>A Utah judge is set to decide Friday if news outlets can continue to film, photograph and livestream the high-profile murder case against the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tyler Robinson’s<\/a> attorneys argue potential jurors could be biased by slanted stories and online comments that depict the defendant as evil or unremorseful based on how he looks and acts in court. They say live broadcasts<\/a> are fueling those stories and interfering with Robinson’s right to a fair trial.<\/p>\n Media organizations, prosecutors and Kirk\u2019s widow, Erika Kirk, want cameras allowed. They argue transparency is the best way to guard against conspiracy theories that have circulated since Kirk’s assassination<\/a> on Sept. 10, when he was shot in the neck while addressing thousands of students at Utah Valley University in Orem.<\/p>\n State District Judge Tony Graf already has tightened his rules for cameras after members of a media pool violated a courtroom order by showing Robinson\u2019s shackles and getting close-ups of him talking to his attorneys. Graf relocated cameras to the rear of the courtroom, behind Robinson, making it much harder to get images of him.<\/p>\n But the judge has sided with the media on other matters. He rejected attempts by Robinson\u2019s attorneys to prevent the release<\/a> of transcripts from closed door hearings in the case. And Graf said in December that transparency was \u201cfoundational\u201d to the judicial system.<\/p>\n Prior to his death, Kirk, 31, and the conservative youth movement he founded, Turning Point USA, emerged as a major force in U.S. politics that was considered instrumental in getting President Donald Trump elected to a second term. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. He’s charged with crimes including aggravated murder and has not yet entered a plea.<\/p>\n Accusations Robinson targeted Kirk over his political views have amplified interest in the case, which in turn has stoked the long-running dispute over cameras inside major trials.<\/p>\n Photos and videos have exposed the inner workings of some of America\u2019s most spectacular criminal cases, from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping trial<\/a> to O.J. Simpson\u2019s<\/a> double murder trial. They’ve also created tensions between transparency advocates and defense attorneys eager to shield clients from bad publicity.<\/p>\n The stakes are especially high in death penalty cases such as Robinson’s, where a jury can consider the defendant’s character as part of its determination. Footage of Robinson apparently smirking while talking to his attorneys during a December hearing elicited comments on Fox News that he was unremorseful and treated Kirk \u201clike a trophy.\u201d<\/p>\n The Constitution gives greater weight to a defendant\u2019s rights to a fair trial than the public\u2019s right to know what\u2019s happening in a case. Nevertheless, cameras have become much more common in state courts in recent years.<\/p>\n They are generally barred in federal criminal trials. Under a New York state law, Trump\u2019s trial and 2024 conviction in a hush money case<\/a> was famously closed to cameras while court was in session. Media organizations used sketch artists<\/a> to capture the scene.<\/p>\n Judges typically retain broad discretion over which parts of a case can be broadcast and who can be filmed or photographed.<\/p>\n Graf also on Friday is set to rule on a defense request to delay Robinson’s preliminary hearing, which is now set for May. Prosecutors during that hearing must show they have enough evidence to proceed to trial.<\/p>\n Authorities have said DNA consistent with Robinson\u2019s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle. But Robinson\u2019s attorneys say the hearing shouldn\u2019t take place until federal law enforcement agencies turn over more details about their DNA analysis.<\/p>\n A delay could stall the case months.<\/p>\n Prosecutors say they have sufficient proof beyond DNA to convict Robinson. That includes surveillance video and a handwritten note he allegedly left for his romantic partner confessing to the crime. ___<\/p>\n Brown reported from Billings, Montana.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n