Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has entered the debate over permitting cameras in court during the trial of Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah accused of murdering Charlie Kirk.

Grassley, a longstanding advocate for allowing cameras in federal courtrooms where they are currently prohibited, described Kirk’s murder as a “pivotal moment in history.” He argued that high-profile cases like these should be accessible to the public.

“I want to commend Erika Kirk, the widow of the slain conservative leader Charlie Kirk. She has made a heartfelt request to have cameras present in the courtroom during the trial of her husband’s alleged killer,” Grassley stated on the Senate floor Tuesday. “I admire her courageous appeal, which aligns with a position I’ve supported for decades.”

Charlie Kirk was a prominent conservative activist and the leader of Turning Point USA. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

While most states, including Utah, permit or leave the decision to include cameras in courtrooms up to judges, federal courts do not allow them. Robinson is currently facing state charges.

In an October motion seeking permission to have him appear in civilian clothes and without shackles, Robinson’s lawyers argued that federal courts have upheld that restrictions on cameras in the courtroom do not violate the media’s First Amendment rights. 

Utah Judge Tony Graf granted his motion to wear regular clothes, denied his motion to appear without shackles and held off a decision on the camera issue after telling both sides to come up with new briefs.

Separately, he has allowed Robinson to attend his last two public hearings remotely, without being on camera.

Erika Kirk speaks during a “This Is the Turning Point” campus tour event at the University of Mississippi, in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Robinson is due back in court on Jan. 16, 2026. Graf has so far allowed both news cameras in the courtroom and a court-operated public livestream, but lawyers on the case have indicated they would support limits or an outright ban on news cameras.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, told Fox News’ Jesse Watters this week she supports keeping the cameras in place.

“There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered,” she said. “There have been cameras all over my friends and family mourning. There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move, analyzing my every smile, my every tear. We deserve to have cameras in there.”

Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, appears by camera before 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, for his initial court appearance in Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton/Pool via Deseret News)

Criminal defendants have a right to a fair trial, but not to privacy or to try and minimize public interest in the case, said Royal Oakes, a Los Angeles-based media attorney who successfully argued to have news cameras in court for OJ Simpson’s 1990s murder trial.

“A more traditional argument for courtroom transparency is the right of the public to see its justice system at work,” he told Fox News Digital. “But Erika Kirk is right to call for broadcasting of court proceedings because, whether the accused is found guilty or not, citizens are entitled to observe hearings and a trial, and make up their own minds about the allegations.”

To solve the federal issue, Grassley has sponsored two bipartisan bills – the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act, which would give all federal judges the authority to allow cameras in their courtrooms, and the Cameras in the Courtroom Act, which would have the U.S. Supreme Court televise all open sessions unless a majority of justices believe doing so would violate due process.