Diddy trial livestream: Why you won't be able to watch the verdict

USA Today

6 days ago

As the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs reaches its conclusion, a quick reminder that tuning into the just-announced verdict won't be as simple as tuning into a livestream.
Unlike several other, similarly high-profile trials like that of Johnny Depp or O.J. Simpson, these proceedings have not been televised.
As Combs faces federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering and a jury weighs his innocence, eager eyes will have to rely on courtroom sketches and reporter dispatches from inside for their news feeds.
USA TODAY has livestream coverage outside of the courthouse as the jury returns its verdict.
Diddy trial livestream: See outside courthouse
Diddy trial live updates: Jury reaches verdict in Sean Combs case
Is Diddy's trial available on livestream?
No, turn off that Court TV stream; no video snippets of the Combs trial or verdict are coming from inside the courtroom.
So why have cameras been shut out of the courtroom? Because Combs faces federal criminal charges, the presence of "electronic media" is expressly banned by a procedural rule passed in 1946.
Entitled Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, the statute bars both photographs and broadcasting from the courtroom of a federal criminal trial. R. Kelly's federal criminal trial, on similar charges, was also not televised.
Two of the prosecution's key witnesses also testified under pseudonyms, in an aim to protect their identities, further bolstering the air of privacy that is meant to surround such a sensitive case.
The rules around federal civil proceedings are slightly more flexible, allowing for recording in some instances at the discretion of the judge. Some criminal trials at the state level, like in the closely watched case of Alex Murdaugh, allow for cameras in the courtroom.
Diddy on Trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom with USA TODAY as Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces sex crimes and trafficking charges.
What charges does Diddy face?
Diddy is charged with two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations contributing to criminal activity.
Every lawsuit and sex abuse allegation against Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" – sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors claim they have video of.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman