Tyler Robinson defense team criticizes Human Events' open letter to court demanding transparency in trial

In a Friday hearing, the defense for Tyler Robinson categorized an open letter published by Human Events urging transparency in the case as a "legal brief." Both the defense attorney and judge referred to the open letter as a "brief." There was no mention from the defense or the judge that Human Events is a media outlet.

A member of Robinson’ defense team told Judge Tony Graf, "Your honor, I came across when I was preparing for the hearing today, a letter brief that is online dated October 28, 2025 from a group called Human Events and its address to your honor and it's in the nature of a brief on the closure issues we've been discussing today. It indicates at the bottom that it was CC’d to the parties, but discussing with the prosecution, neither one, neither party, has actually received this."

"I was curious as to how the court handles, if it does, letters of this nature, where people are unbeknownst to the parties, providing opinions, and in this case, legal briefs to the court, which I assume the court is not looking at, but … we don't see this filed in the docket," the defense attorney continued.

Graf replied, "So that would be ex parte communications, and the court has not reviewed that. Do we have a record of that? So we have a record of it. I haven't reviewed it. It wouldn't be proper for me to do so, so I have not. What is your request as it relates to that particular brief?"

"As long as that's the court's ruling, that was our concern. And just to make clear that that, in fact, is the rule, is what we were after," the defense replied.

The open letter addressed to Graf was published by the Human Events Media Group in October regarding the issue of cameras in the courtroom. The letter stated in part, "Human Events Media Group, a national news organization committed to transparent and accountable reporting, respectfully urges this Court to deny any motion to prohibit video, photographic, or live-stream coverage of pre-trial and trial proceedings in the capital prosecution of Tyler James Robinson for the murder of conservative activist and leader Charlie Kirk."

"Such a ban would violate Utah law, U.S. Supreme Court precedent, First Amendment protections, and the public’s fundamental right of access to judicial proceedings," the letter continued. It later concluded, "Human Events respectfully requests that the Court: Deny any motion for a blanket camera ban. Retain live-streaming and still photography under existing decorum rules. Require any party seeking further restrictions to file a formal motion with specific, evidence-based findings of unavoidable prejudice—not mere apprehension, as is evident in the motion for the Defendant."

Human Events Open Letter to Utah Court by The Post Millennial