It's in Their Hands Now

The irony was almost inescapable: The man at the center of the trial of the 20th century passed just days before the start of what may well be the trial of the 21st century. There are countless differences between the 1995 trial of O.J. Simpson and the 2024 trial of Donald Trump — not least of which is the fact that Simpson stood trial for a double homicide while the former president is charged with...falsely labeling payments to his attorney as legal expenses.

One of the starkest differences between the two proceedings is that the Simpson trial was televised, so the American public was able to tune in and follow along at will. The obvious downside of that was the spectacle it became. (Dancing Itos, anyone?)

But for Trump's Manhattan trial, we've been forced to rely on artists' renderings and reports by those journalists and observers able to finagle courtroom (or overflow room) seating. Recognizing that the majority of the coverage was coming from outlets that aren't exactly known for being Trump-friendly, we did our best here at RedState to sift through the spin and provide thorough and accurate coverage of the trial (along with our own analysis, which, we freely admit, involves right-leaning perspectives).

We've walked you through the jury selection process, the opening statements, the tussles over the gag order and various evidentiary issues, the highlights (and lowlights) of the witness testimony, and the closing arguments.

And now, 12 jurors are about to be charged by the court — instructed as to the law and required to retire to the jury room and deliberate regarding the fate of a former president — and, some might contend, the nation. Whatever they decide — however long it takes them — what those 12 do will impact us all in some way. And likely far more than the outcome of O.J.'s trial ever did, Kardashians notwithstanding.

It's in their hands now.

That's a Wrap - Sort Of (Trump Trial - Day 20)

There's no question that the optimal way to cover the trial — and any future trials involving the former president (or Hunter Biden, for that matter) — would be in person. And believe you me, as someone who provided daily summaries of the trial, I'd have loved nothing more than to be able to do just that.

Imagine not having to rely on the legacy media to get a sense of what was going on inside the courtroom — the presentation of the witnesses, the demeanor of the judge, the body language of the jurors in response to the proceedings. Imagine getting a firsthand account of all those things from a trusted source.

We'd gladly do that if we had the resources to — and that's where you come in, Dear Readers. We regularly tout our VIP membership program here at RedState (and across the Townhall family of sites) because it helps us do what we do best — bring you coverage of key news stories along with top-notch investigative journalism with a dash of culture and fun thrown in. But all that comes with a cost — and the more we're able to distance ourselves from traditional revenue sources (i.e., ads run by the Big Tech overlords), the more we're not forced to rely on their "goodwill" to bring you our reporting.

What you do when you become a member is help support our work and the reporting you've come to appreciate and expect from RedState. And with your help, we'd love to bring you even more investigative and original reporting — like direct coverage of events and proceedings like Trump's trial in Manhattan. And a Gold-level account gets you access to all of our sister sites in Townhall Media: PJ Media, Twitchy, Hot Air, Bearing Arms, and Townhall.com. Right now, you can use promo code SAVEAMERICA for a 50% discount. If you're already a member – first, thank you; we're very grateful for your support – you can gift a membership to a friend or family member (all you need is their email address).