As the sex trafficking trial of Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, began on Monday, social media users were spreading false claims that the judge barred the press from the courtroom and prohibited livestreams to keep details from the public.
In the high-profile case, Maxwell is accused of recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein, who killed himself after his arrest on sex trafficking charges of his own.
Maxwell’s case comes on the heels of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse in a Wisconsin state court, which was televised live. And some online conspiracy theorists appear to believe the lack of cameras in Maxwell’s courtroom proves there is a larger cover up.
But the claims lack a fundamental understanding of how federal courtrooms in the U.S. operate.
Here’s a look at the facts.
CLAIM: The judge in the Ghislaine Maxwell case has issued a media-wide gag order over the trial with no livestream to keep scandalous details from leaking out to the public.
THE FACTS: Members of the media are allowed to watch Maxwell’s trial. But federal courts do not allow cameras like some state courts do, and the discrepancy is fueling confusion and conspiracy theories on social media.
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