Delphi murders: Indiana Supreme Court lifts ban that may drastically impact Richard Allen's trial
DELPHI, INDIANA: The Indiana Supreme Court has significantly changed its previous courtroom camera policy, which could allow the public to see inside Richard Allen's murder trial. Judges will now be able to decide whether cameras are allowed in their courtrooms starting from Monday, May 1.
Richard Allen's trial could be the first in Indiana to be shown worldwide owing to the lifting of the close-range camera ban. This case has generated a ton of media coverage and is regarded as Indiana's most high-profile trial in a decade, according to WRTV. Now that Indiana has joined the other 48 states that permit cameras in courtrooms, individuals may have the option to watch the trial themselves. Chief Justice Loretta H Rush of the Indiana Supreme Court believes that the general public has a right to witness how the state's judicial system functions.
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'I think they need to know what's going on in the courtrooms'
Rush stated, "We have 2.8 million cases pending in Indiana courts right now and those cases involve every facet of Hoosier life. For people to trust the courts, I think they need to know what's going on in the courtrooms," according to WRTV.
Judges will have the authority to impose any restrictions they see fit, including forbidding cameras completely or ordering them to be put away at any point throughout the trial. Rush said, "They know their communities, they know their justice partners, they know their prosecutors, they know their attorneys, public defenders, and a lot of times they know the families."
The new rule has some restrictions. The filming of juveniles and anyone who has been the victim of assault, sex offenses, or domestic abuse is prohibited. Only qualified members of the media are allowed to use cameras; the general public is not permitted to use cameras.
Will the murder trial for Richard Allen have cameras?
Frances Gull, a special judge, will decide whether or not cameras will be permitted at Allen's trial. Gull has previously mentioned that the Indiana Supreme Court that the court's cameras were "unobtrusive," according to the Sun. However, she still hasn't decided whether or not they'll be permitted in the Allen trial.
His trial date was originally slated to start in March, but it has been postponed to an unspecified period. The following court appearance for Allen is scheduled for June 15.