Judge denies Hunter Biden video court hearing on gun charges

A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Hunter Biden to have his first court appearance on felony firearm charges be conducted remotely via video conference.

Judge Christopher Burke ordered the son of President Joe Biden to appear in person on Oct. 3 for his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware.

“Any other defendant would be required to attend his or her initial appearance in person. So too here,” the judge wrote in a two-page order in favor of prosecutors, who objected to a video conference hearing for Hunter Biden.

Burke wrote that he agreed with both Biden’s lawyer and prosecutors that the 53-year-old California resident “should not receive special treatment in this matter.”

“Although initial appearances in criminal matters are often short in duration, our Court has always considered them to be important,” Burke wrote.

He noted that in 12 years on the federal bench, he “cannot recall ever having conducted an initial appearance other than in person” outside of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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.

Prosecutors on Wednesday urged Burke to hold Biden’s arraignment in person, arguing that he…