LATAH COUNTY, Idaho (ABC4) — The judge in the Kohberger murder case issued an order last week restricting the use of cameras in an effort to address concerns from both judicial and media officials.

According to court documents filed Friday, Judge John Judge, who decided he would continue to allow cameras in the court last month, issued an order allowing only the court itself to record during the Kohberger trial. This means journalists and members of the public will not be allowed to use cameras during court proceedings.

Bryan Kohberger, a criminology PhD student, is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death at a residence in Moscow, Idaho. The case has received widespread media attention.

Since August, over a dozen media outlets have argued to keep cameras in the court proceedings, saying it is the only way for many community members affected by the crimes to have the opportunity to “see and hear the proceedings for themselves.”

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Both the defense and the state, however, have fought to remove cameras, pointing to the necessity for an impartial jury and the potential damage of exposing victims and witnesses.

The defense showed examples of some media outlets continuing to violate court rules by zooming in on Kohberger and filming before and after the hearing. They also expressed fears of cameras capturing sensitive documents or witness and victim testimonies.

“At this juncture, the Court has no confidence that directives to stop photographing or videoing during such testimony would be adhered to,” documents state.

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The judge clarified it was not all media outlets and journalists who violated the court’s orders, but that restricting the cameras to the court itself would reduce the burden of monitoring the media and the public.

The new arrangement will give the court more control over video and audio recording while still allowing those affected to watch the proceedings if they are unable to attend in person.

While the judge holds the right to change this mandate at any time, as of now all future hearings will be recorded and live-streamed through the Court’s YouTube channel.

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