A Becker County District Court Judge has granted a request by several media organizations for audio and video coverage of Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s criminal trial. Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, is accused of one count of felony burglary.  Her trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 27. Fox 9. KARE-11, KSTP-TV, Star Tribune, WCCO-TV, and Valley News Live filed motions for media access. 

Judge Michael D. Fritz wrote in his ruling that audio and video coverage will boost public transparency and trust in the court proceedings. “As an elected member of the Minnesota State Senate, Ms. Mitchell is a public figure, and there is therefore a heightened public interest in this case,” Fritz stated.

The media is allowed to record the trial but not livestream it.

Mitchell was arrested in April after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s house in Detroit Lakes. According to the criminal complaint, Mitchell told the victim she was trying to retrieve a few items of her late father’s since “you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.” Mitchell, a first-term lawmaker, has called the incident a misunderstanding and has withstood several calls for her to resign her Senate seat.