Diddy’s trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges is now in progress, but those hoping to watch the proceedings live are disappointed as no livestream exists.
Viewers can’t get the same up-close experience available during other major trials because Diddy faces federal charges, and by law, cameras and electronic devices are completely prohibited in federal courtrooms. Diddy’s federal charges include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution. If found guilty, he’s looking at 15 years behind bars.
The Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53 states that courts “must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.”
For Diddy’s case, people must rely on court sketches and reporting from traditional news outlets like Law&Crime and Court TV. Some social media accounts, including The Inner City Press, are covering the trial through live tweets.
High-profile trials that weren’t federal gave viewers courtroom access, like the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation case that took over headlines in 2022. That civil trial in Virginia’s Fairfax County Circuit Court was plastered across social media as cameras captured every statement, testimony, piece of evidence, and more.
The first major trial to hit TV screens was O.J. Simpson’s murder case in 1995. That murder trial was a state proceeding in Los Angeles County Superior Court, with charges brought by the State of California.
