Contrast in Rittenhouse, Maxwell trial coverage due to state and fed court rules, not hidden agenda

A social media post claims that two high-profile trials are being presented differently by the media because of the nature of the crimes and the people involved.

A viral Facebook post reads, "Rittenhouse’s trial was streamed live for the world to see because he is a ‘white supremacist shooter,’ yet the one that is connected to Epstein and a global child trafficking ring for the elite and all we get is some cartoon drawing?" The caption says, "What are they hiding?"

The post includes a screenshot of an article from The Guardian, a British newspaper, with a courtroom artist’s sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell and her attorneys at a hearing.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Media access to the two trials is vastly different. But that’s because the federal court system and the state court system have different rules regarding cameras and recording devices.

Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who was acquitted on Nov. 19 of homicide and other charges in a 2020 shooting that left two people dead, stood trial in a state court in Wisconsin, where cameras and recording devices are allowed in most proceedings.

Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse minors over several years beginning in the 1990s, is being tried in federal court, where in most instances cameras and recording devices are not allowed.

Rittenhouse did not face any federal charges. In Wisconsin, the state’s Supreme Court has authorized cameras and recorders in all courtrooms since 1979, with some limited exceptions.

Rittenhouse’s trial was broadcast on air and online. A jury deliberated for 26 hours before finding him not guilty of all charges. 

Maxwell, 59, is accused of luring young girls and grooming them to engage in sexual acts with Epstein, and also of participating in the abuse herself. She has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of ​​sex trafficking a minor, sex trafficking conspiracy, transporting a minor for the purposes of criminal sexual activity and conspiring to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.

Jury selection is underway for Maxwell’s trial, which is in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In most federal courts, cameras and recording devices are not allowed — and have not been allowed for decades. A very small number of federal courts participate in a pilot program to evaluate the effect of cameras in district court courtrooms.

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Courtroom artists are allowed to draw the proceedings in federal court, and their work is used by the media, including TV stations, websites and newspapers, since cameras aren’t allowed.

A Facebook post says, "Rittenhouse’s trial was streamed live for the world to see because he is a ‘white supremacist shooter,’ yet the one that is connected to Epstein and a global child trafficking ring for the elite and all we get is some cartoon drawing?"

The claim implies that coverage of the trials was handled differently because of the nature of the crimes and the people involved. There’s no indication that’s the case. Rittenhouse was tried in state court in Wisconsin, where cameras are allowed, while Maxwell is on trial in federal court, where in most instances cameras and recording devices are not allowed. Limitations on cameras and other recordings of federal court proceedings have existed for decades.

The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate this claim Mostly False. 

RELATED LINK: Kenosha police did let Kyle Rittenhouse go, but claim goes too far in labeling his beliefs