Donald Trump Placed Under Gag Order Ahead of Hush Money Case
In a bold move, a New York judge has silenced former President Donald Trump just days before his criminal hush money case is set to begin on April 15. The gag order prohibits Trump from publicly discussing court staff, jurors, witnesses, and lawyers in the district attorney’s office — or their families. However, notably, the order does not extend to the district attorney himself.
Trump’s campaign has cried foul, arguing that the restricted speech violates his free speech rights. The order specifies that any comments made by Trump must be intended to “materially interfere” with the case in order to warrant restriction.
Justice Juan Merchan granted the limited gag order at the request of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. This came after Trump took to his Truth Social account to attack Justice Merchan’s daughter and label the judge as a “certified Trump hater”.
Trump is facing a staggering 34 felony counts related to hush money payments allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election. Despite pleading not guilty, Trump has dismissed the case as politically motivated.
In his ruling, Justice Merchan acknowledged Trump’s constitutional free speech rights but ultimately deemed the former president’s remarks as “threatening, inflammatory, denigrating” and causing fear and heightened security measures for those targeted.
Back in February, Bragg had urged the court to issue a gag order citing Trump’s history of attacking opponents. Trump’s legal team, however, argued that as a leading candidate for the 2024 election, any restrictions on his speech would be unconstitutional.
This isn’t the first time Trump has faced such restrictions. In a prior civil case involving his real estate ventures, a judge imposed a gag order after Trump attacked a court clerk on social media, resulting in fines for violating the order.
As the legal battles continue, Trump is now required to pay a hefty $454 million bond stemming from the civil fraud trial, though an appeals court recently reduced this amount to $175 million on Monday. — BBC
