- Tyler Robinson will argue Friday to keep motions private.
- Media attorneys oppose, citing lack of justification for classifying public filings as private.
- Robinson, charged with capital murder, faces potential death sentence for Sept. 10 Charlie Kirk killing.
PROVO — Tyler Robinson is scheduled to be back in the courtroom on Friday to argue which motions, if any, should be kept out of public view.
Fourth District Judge Tony Graf is expected to hear arguments on several motions that Robinson and his defense team have filed, which they want to remain classified as "private."
On Jan. 9, Robinson filed a motion "with exhibits" and immediately requested that the motion be made private so the public cannot read it. Attorneys for the media filed a memorandum a week later opposing the motion to classify it as private.
"The motion itself provides almost no explanation for why the presumptively public filing should be classified as nonpublic, nor does it (or the order granting it) engage in any of the substantive analysis required (by law)," the memorandum states.
On Jan. 16, Robinson filed another motion to keep cameras and microphones out of the courtroom and again requested that the motion be marked as "private." Attorneys are expected to present their arguments on Friday as to why the motion should remain sealed or be open for the public to view. The actual issue of whether cameras should be allowed in the courtroom during Robinson's legal proceedings will be debated during his next hearing on April 17.
The court may also hear arguments on Friday about whether portions of the upcoming April 17 hearing should be closed to the public as requested by Robinson and his attorneys.
Watch the livestream here:
Robinson, 22, is charged with capital murder and faces a potential death sentence if convicted of killing Charlie Kirk, 31, on Sept. 10 on the campus of Utah Valley University. His defense contends that electronic media coverage threatens Robinson's due process and his rights to a fair and impartial jury.
Most recently, Graf denied a motion by Robinson to have the Utah County Attorney's Office disqualified from prosecuting the case because a daughter of the county attorney's chief deputy was among the estimated 3,000 people in the audience when Kirk was shot
As of Friday, a preliminary hearing for Robinson is scheduled for May 18, 19 and 21, although that could be moved if attorneys say they're not ready to proceed.
This story will be updated.
