Judge Denies Hunter Biden Virtual Court Appearance
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Hunter Biden requested to appear virtually for his arraignment – a judge denied this request.
Prosecutors said, “Given the serious felony gun charges at issue in this case, this Court should have an opportunity to assess the defendant in a live setting when discharging its obligations.”
Magistrate Judge Christopher J. Burke denied Wednesday a request from Hunter Biden’s legal team that he appear virtually for his arraignment on felony gun charges.
Burke, hailing from the federal District Court in Delaware, sided with Department of Justice special counsel David C. Weiss’ office, which issued a filing shortly before the decision opposing the request.
Weiss’ office had cited the severity of the charges as the primary reason to oppose the request from Biden’s legal team issued Tuesday.
“Fifteen months ago, the Court’s standing order authorizing virtual proceedings during the pandemic expired,” prosecutors noted as further justification for their opposition.
Hunter Biden was indicted on 3 criminal counts last week.
Biden last week was indicted on three criminal counts related to his possession of a firearm while being an unlawful drug user.
His lawyer Abbe Lowell in a filing Tuesday argued that a virtual court appearance would avoid an “unnecessary burden on government resources and the disruption to the courthouse and downtown areas” of Wilmington that would result from his client’s Secret Service protection.
Lowell wrote that Biden will plead not guilty to the charges during his appearance, “and there is no reason why he cannot utter those two words by video conference.”
Biden “is not seeking any special treatment in making this request,” the defense lawyer wrote.
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