adminThe nation watched a courtroom in Provo, Utah, this week as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson made his first in-person appearance after being charged in the brutal killing of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The sight of the accused sitting before a judge reopened fresh pain for grieving Americans who saw a conservative leader gunned down while speaking on a college campus — a moment that should have been met with solemnity, not spectacle.
Fox News contributor Miranda Devine called Robinson’s conduct in court “repellent,” and she was right to call out behavior that borders on theatrical when the families and the country are demanding seriousness and justice. Americans do not want courtroom drama; they want the rule of law enforced and the full weight of evidence put on the table for everyone to see, not hidden behind legalese and secrecy.
Authorities have charged Robinson with aggravated murder and a slate of related felonies, and prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty as the facts are laid bare. He’s being held without bail, and the gravity of the charges should remind every patriot that violent crime must be met with the strongest possible consequences under the law.
Troublingly, the case has also highlighted an alarming tendency among some in the justice system to shut the public out of proceedings that should be transparent. Media organizations have pushed back, rightly seeking intervenor status so judges can’t quietly seal records or close hearings without notice to the public or to reporters who serve as watchdogs over government power.
That demand for secrecy is especially suspicious given the initial flood of information in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and the subsequent, abrupt clampdown on access — including a closed hearing in October that many saw as unnecessary and counter to the public’s right to know. In a healthy republic, transparency is the antidote to rumor and political manipulation.
We’ve also seen reporting that Robinson’s radicalization included online chatter where he flippantly joked about being the shooter and discussed the situation with friends on platforms like Discord, which should alarm anyone who still believes social media is harmless. These digital breadcrumbs show how dangerous echo chambers and radical influences can be, and they should prompt a real conversation about responsibility, enforcement, and preventing lone actors from turning into killers.
Conservatives can defend due process while also demanding that justice be swift and unclouded by grandstanding or political posturing. Charlie Kirk was a husband, father, and public figure who energized young Americans with a conservative message; his family and supporters deserve nothing less than full accountability and a court process conducted in the open.
Now is the time for citizens to insist on law and order, transparency in prosecutions of political violence, and a justice system that puts victims and truth ahead of protecting narratives. Keep the cameras rolling, keep the records open, and let the American people judge for themselves — because democracy dies in the dark and patriots will not stand for anything less.
