Controversial decision of trial judge Depp – Heard

Millions of people watched Penney Azcarate – Chief Justice of the Fairfax District Court (Virginia, USA) – as she presided over the defamation hearing between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for the past six weeks.

Azcarate maintained a calm presence, accepting or rejecting evidence and occasionally advising witnesses to focus on attorneys’ questions. But, her most controversial decision was to allow cameras in the courtroom.

Penney Azcarate – Chief Justice of the Fairfax District Court (Virginia, USA). Photo: AP.

“There is no reason to ban the lawsuit livestream”

The audience is witness to grisly testimonies, especially from Heard, as she tries to describe Depp’s offensive actions. The last time she stood on the podium for testimony, the actress said it was “humiliating” to relive the disgusting moments in front of the camera.

And as always, amateurs Pirates of the Caribbean still denies all charges and counter-claims his ex-wife concocted an elaborate hoax to destroy his career.

Follow Variety, Heard’s legal team tried to remove the camera from the courtroom but failed. Elaine Bredehoft – Heard’s lawyer – expressed concern that the actress was psychologically affected because the media was paying too much attention to “anti-anti-channels”. Amber Heard“.

“These channels will look at any unfavorable facts about Heard, and judge it”Bredehoft said. “They’ll cut Heard’s answer out of context and make it into a clip, playing it over and over again.”

All actions and expressions of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in court were recorded by camera. Photo: ET/Thestar.

Meanwhile, Depp’s attorney, Ben Chew, is in favor of the camera installation. He and the Hollywood actor believe in transparency, the way the global public sees it.

Viewership grew exponentially as the hearing progressed, according to Law & Crime, the service that livestreamed the entire incident. In the moment Depp made his point, maintaining his stance on May 25, the number of viewers watching live on the channel peaked at 1,247,163 – more than double the peak when the actor gave his testimony in April.

And over the past few weeks, photos and videos of Depp and Heard’s expressions have gone viral on social media, spreading around the world.

Answer the interview Variety, Judge Penney Azcarate said he received a lot of questions about the issue of allowing the camera to operate. Azcarate said it was her responsibility to maintain the openness of the proceedings. If cameras are banned, she worries reporters will wait in court and awkward situations will arise.

“I have no good reason to forbid it,” Azcarate emphasized.

Lawyers’ objections

The end-to-end livestream allows viewers to witness all the evidence, gauge the credibility of witnesses, and make their own judgments without being swayed by news outlets. However, observers insist that Azcarate’s decision will have a negative impact on victims of violence.

Michele Dauber – professor at Stanford Law School – speaks: “This is the worst decision in the face of increasing intimate partner and sexual violence.”

Michelle Simpson Tuegel, an attorney who has represented sex-crime victims in high-profile cases, said her clients do not want their real names used in public court records to avoid leading to the consequences.

“The live stream only exaggerates what the plaintiff and the defendant have been going through. Their testimony will be divided in many hateful ways. I am saddened and disgusted that livestreaming the trial will make people – especially victims of sexual violence – scared in the quest for justice and speaking the truth”Tuegel shared.

Lawyers in the US, especially Virginia, are not in favor of livestreaming the trial. Photo: Theepochtimes.

Virginia law gives the trial judge nearly complete discretion over camera placement. However, state statutes do list some cases where filming is prohibited, such as when “victims and families of sex offenders give statements”.

During the February 25 hearing, nearly two months before Heard and Depp faced off face-to-face, attorney Elaine Bredehoft argued that star Aquaman was the victim of sexual assault, so the camera was not allowed. However, Judge Azcarate said there was no need to apply the rule to civil cases like those of Depp and Heard.

Cameras are rare, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist in Virginia courts. A Fairfax County judge allowed it to appear in the Julio Blanco Garcia murder trial in 2013. But Joe King, an Alexandria-based defense attorney, said that was the only exception.

Follow Variety, King represented Charles Severance, the man who was tried and found guilty of murder in 2015 in Fairfax. This case is notorious locally, but the judge only allows filming, bans livestreaming. King said the judge also denied a request to broadcast another murder trial in Alexandria.

In 2012, a judge in Charlottesville banned the installation of cameras at his trial and sentenced football player George Huguely to murder his ex-girlfriend, saying the cameras would harm witnesses and the jury. The media intervened fiercely, but the Virginia Supreme Court upheld the decision.

Attorney Lawrence McClafferty agrees. He emphasized: “Virginia is a conservative place. We’re not used to cameras, and it can be distracting for everyone. I don’t think we should see more cameras in future trials.”

As a close follower of Depp-Heard’s trial, he repeatedly witnessed the scene of a group of people supporting the actor Pirates of the Caribbean waiting outside to see the idol, even if only for a moment. To him, this image is not interesting.

According to Zing