Any trial can have media present and are public. Majority are not publically known due to no media attention.

Most media outlets - newspapers, television, radio stations - do not have regular courthouse reporters as they might have previously. Credit/blame media consolidation and corporate cutbacks.

I would say, as someone who's been through the court system, that this is a good thing. But good, non-sensationalist, and professionally skeptical reporting can benefit as well as harm someone accused of a crime.

I think LE invites the media after an arrest to "run people up the flag pole..." to show what a good job they're doing more than courts. I went to jail overnight at 1:00am and I was in the next days paper but nothing from 2 different court hearings. Not even in the local paper's "Day in court section..."

Depends where you are. In a city of 200,000.....i can tell you that the media comes to the clerk of courts everyday.

They get copies of the criminal complaints. On the complaints has the date of the initial appearance.

So the media knows when they go to court.

There are two differant courts. Those who are in jail (in custody) and those who got summoned (out of custody).

My experience is that those cases like murder, sexual assault, child porn, or an athlete or other important figure...the media will be there.

As for the time frame.....if summoned it can be several weeks. If in jail it is 3 to 4 days.

When my husband had any hearing there was always a newspaper reporter there covering his and any of the other hearings taking place in that court room. I actually got ahold of the reporter after one of his stories went out. As I was really upset over stating where my husband lived. They had been so general before that as to not giving out his address.
I was afraid of someone trying something. Luckily nothing happened.

My husbands case was everywhere but that was due to the judge being a complete and utter *insert favourite cuss word here* and read to the public gallery 3 of the most horrific images in the folders he was sent. There was a riot in court, the police were involved and the public asked to leave. Media printed the address where me and out two young children live, he was elsewhere at that point. My friend managed to get the papers to remove the story online due to the errors on it. Saying that there hasn't been any harassment towards my husband. The first time he went to court there was no media present but they got access to the court documentation and printed some of that. He was in the papers several times during his case, all over social media but we live in a small town.

Thanks everyone. I'm reliving the day after his arrest in my mind constantly. Every news channel, news paper, and social media had our home, address, phone number listed. Reporters at our door, positioned on our street talking to people walking by, going to the doors of our neighbors. Which by the way, I recently found a followup article after the initial arraignment months ago with positive things from our neighbors. Made me feel slightly better.

My mind tells me it won't be as bad this time. Perhaps a reporter reporting details from the courthouse or something along those lines, but hopefully that is it. He has been in custody since the arrest and will go straight to prison once sentenced. In my mind, there is no need to blast info on our home since no one here knew of the things that took place, we were not involved, and he has no ties anymore to this house. People should be respectful of those that have to carry on living here. If for no other reason, for our safety. But, I know that's not how this game is played unfortunately.

From what my attorney has said, the media's interest comes from how high profile a person is, or the kind of profession they're in. Teachers, custodians, athletic coaches and priests obviously get splashed up on the TV news and make the newspapers more than Joe or Jane low profile. From reading these boards for six months, the comments indicate that, even if an arrest is media publicized and the worst public reaction is feared, usually nothing bad happens. The size of the city, and the defendant's profession, and if it's Federal vs State are all factors.

I realize your relative has no intentions of going to trial with these charges, but if he did and there was a preliminary hearing, there would have been more intensive media coverage.

Preliminary hearings seem to bring out the worst the media has to offer.

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No preliminary hearing(s) that I'm aware of. Next step after the criminal complaint is an arraignment. Not sure of the time lapse in between those two hearings, but our fingers are crossed it goes quietly. However, we will not be surprised if at least newspapers pickup on the sentencing details. But, that will not be for a while. We just want this nightmare behind us so we all can begin to heal and move past this. It's a long road, and all these hearings and threats of media coverage do not make it easy. Thank you as always.