A gag order has been reinstated on former President Donald Trump in his ongoing civil fraud trial. The legal battle continues as Trump faces political attacks and prepares for his second testimony.
A recent ruling by a New York appeals court has placed a gag order on former President Donald Trump, prohibiting him from making any further comments regarding court personnel involved in his ongoing civil fraud trial in New York. The decision, issued by a four-judge panel, comes after weeks of legal back-and-forth, with an individual appellate judge initially placing the order on hold.
The trial judge, Arthur Engoron, who originally imposed the gag order, has expressed his intention to enforce it rigorously and vigorously. However, Trump's attorney, Christopher Kise, has called it "a tragic day for the rule of law."
The gag order was first put in place on October 3rd, after Trump made derogatory remarks about the judge's law clerk on social media. Trump's post, which included baseless accusations about the clerk's personal life, was made on the second day of the trial in a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. James alleges that Trump inflated his wealth on financial statements in order to secure loans and make deals. Trump, on the other hand, denies any wrongdoing and views the lawsuit as a political attack orchestrated by James, a Democrat.
As the trial progressed, Engoron fined Trump $15,000 for violating the gag order. In response, the judge expanded the scope of the order to include lawyers, after Trump's attorneys raised concerns about the clerk's prominent role during proceedings. The clerk, Allison Greenfield, had been sitting alongside the judge, exchanging notes and providing advice during witness testimonies.
In light of these developments, Trump's legal team decided to challenge Engoron's gag order, filing a lawsuit that argues it is an abuse of power. The battle between Trump and the court continues as the trial moves forward.
It remains to be seen how this reinstated gag order will impact the proceedings and whether Trump will abide by its constraints. As the 2024 Republican presidential nomination looms on the horizon, the former president finds himself caught in the middle of both legal and political battles that could shape his future.
State lawyers have attempted to connect President Trump's remarks to an increase in hostile calls and messages aimed at Judge Greenfield and her law clerk. According to a sworn statement from a court security captain, Greenfield has been bombarded with 20-30 calls daily on her personal cell phone, as well as 30-50 messages on social media, LinkedIn, and two personal email accounts.
Disturbingly, there have been enough harassing voicemails to produce a 275-page transcript when single-spaced. Shockingly, around half of the messages contain antisemitic content. While Trump's legal team acknowledges the vile nature of these communications, they argue against silencing him due to the misconduct of others. They emphasize that he never called for violence against Greenfield, and neither he nor his attorneys promoted or condoned harassment or threats in their court filing.
Trump's lawyers make a strong case that restraining his speech would infringe upon his right to free expression. They assert that as the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and as a defendant in this trial, President Trump is entirely justified in commenting on what he perceives as bias.
Despite the temporary injunction, Trump continued to address Greenfield as recently as Wednesday, mentioning her "very disturbed and angry law clerk." Notably, Trump is scheduled to testify for the second time in this case on December 11th.
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