A New York appeals court recently reinstated a series of gag orders prohibiting former President Donald Trump and his lawyers from speaking publically about the law clerk for the judge presiding over the state’s civil fraud trial against him. The reinstated gag orders had been temporarily blocked by Trump as he contested them, however, this effort was denied by the appeals court.
The gag orders were initially imposed by New York State Judge Arthur Engoron at the beginning of the trial in October, following Trump’s reportedly “repeated inappropriate remarks” about the clerk. Such remarks, according to Engoron, led to a slew of threatening and harassing phone calls and emails to the courthouse. The order was later expanded to include Trump’s legal counsel.
Despite the reinstatement, Trump’s team maintains its stance against the orders. Lawyer Chris Kise referred to the decision as a “tragic day for the rule of law.” Trump had previously been fined $15,000 for violating the gag orders twice and had argued their unconstitutionality, asserting that they inhibited his free speech rights.
For the full details of this event, you may refer to the original article on Bloomberg Law.