Former president Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York on Monday, a day earlier than his arraignment.

Bryan Woolston/AP

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Bryan Woolston/AP

Former president Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York on Monday, a day earlier than his arraignment.

Bryan Woolston/AP

Typically, when an individual reveals up for arraignment, there are a few logistical things they must care for earlier than they will seem in entrance of a choose: specifically, fingerprints, images and paperwork.

It’s not solely clear what that course of will appear to be for former President Donald Trump, who’s slated to reach on the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to listen to the fees towards him and enter a plea.

A New York grand jury indicted Trump final week in connection along with his alleged function in masking up hush cash paid to grownup movie actress Stormy Daniels throughout his 2016 marketing campaign.

The historic indictment of a former president (and present presidential candidate) is a primary within the U.S. So there may be little precedent and far uncertainty about what occurs subsequent.

One rising space of curiosity — particularly as Trump’s marketing campaign has sought to fundraise and capitalize off his authorized woes — is whether or not he could have a mug shot taken. And if that’s the case, will individuals have the ability to see it?

The quick reply is: Probably not, until it by some means will get leaked.

The execs and cons of mug pictures

Mug pictures are sets of photos of the defendant from the shoulders up that additionally embody figuring out data like their top and date of arrest.

They are sometimes taken as a part of the reserving course of and serve several purposes, like confirming which of a number of individuals with the identical identify was truly arrested and establishing their bodily situation at the moment.

Mug pictures traditionally remained in police information, however in lots of circumstances at the moment are accessible on-line.

Mug pictures solely present that an individual was booked, not whether or not they have been discovered harmless or responsible. And their web presence can typically come at somebody’s skilled or private expense.

The guidelines round publishing mug pictures are oft-debated and ever-evolving, with insurance policies various by state.

New York handed a ‘mug shot ban’ in 2019

Then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2020 price range included a regulation that successfully banned regulation enforcement from releasing most mug pictures to the general public.

He had initially proposed banning the discharge of different reserving data, like names and expenses, which he called an “unwanted invasion of personal privacy.”

Critics pushed back, fearing “secret arrests” and a scarcity of accountability, and lawmakers in the end handed a scaled-down model of the invoice focusing solely on mug pictures.

In April 2019, Cuomo signed laws amending the Freedom of Information Law to expressly state that “an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy includes … disclosure of law enforcement arrest or booking photographs of an individual.”

The so-called ban does have some exceptions: It says images will be launched if they’ll “serve a specific law enforcement purpose and disclosure is not precluded by any state or federal laws.”

That might imply, for instance, when investigators are trying to find a lacking or needed particular person.

What Trump’s crew has mentioned

Some mug pictures have leaked prior to now, regardless of New York’s regulation discouraging their launch, the Associated Press reports.

It’s doable that would occur in such a high-profile case — if mug pictures are taken — however it’s unclear whether or not that is one thing Trump’s crew would need.

They challenged a media request to have video cameras within the courtroom, (although the choose overseeing the case ruled on Monday that 5 pool photographers can take nonetheless images earlier than the arraignment itself).

Alina Habba, an lawyer representing Trump in a number of authorized issues, argued on CNN on Monday that mug pictures can be pointless in Trump’s case.

“[Mug shots] are for people so that you recognize who they are,” she mentioned. “He’s the most recognized face in the world, let alone the country, right now, so there’s no need for that.”

She additionally mentioned that even when mug pictures are taken, they shouldn’t be launched to the general public.

“I like transparency. I think that in certain situations, it’s a good thing. I do have a problem with leaking of pictures,” Habba added. “I think that because we’re in a campaign, because he’s the leading GOP candidate, it’s not going to help anything.”

Trump has made no secret of his indictment — he is posted on social media about it (even incorrectly predicting it might occur days earlier than it did) and plans to offer a prime-time speech from Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night time.

And citing three unnamed sources conversant in the scenario, Rolling Stone reports that a few of Trump’s aides and advisers have pushed him to “turn his [mug shot] into fuel for a fundraising drive, or as a potent new symbol on 2024 campaign merchandise.”

Trump’s marketing campaign said Monday it had raised $7 million since he was indicted on Thursday.

Follow our live blog for the newest developments.