Today, Donald Trump’s New York gag order was restored by a four-judge panel from the First Judicial Department, overturning the interim stay that was implemented last week. This decision was made by Associate Justice David Friedman, considering the “constitutional and statutory rights at issue.” Find more information here.
The order was initially put in place on October 3, due to a social media post in which Trump inaccurately referred to Justice Arthur Engoron’s law clerk as Senator Chuck Schumer’s “girlfriend.” This happened on the second day of the civil fraud trial of the former president’s family and their eponymous business. More details are available here.
Despite promising to control their client, who then proceeded to break the order twice, Trump’s attorneys Chris Kise, Alina Habba, and Cliff Roberts have largely focused their defense around attacking the clerk. Click here to read their motion for a mistrial.
Interestingly, the defense lawyers were also imposed with a gag order by Justice Engoron on November 3rd due to their persistent and aggressive behavior towards the clerk. Check the affidavit here.
With the gag order back in effect, Trump has now shifted his focus towards targeting Justice Engoron’s family on social media. This is likely to be considered by Special Counsel Jack Smith as he considers the validity of the stayed gag order in the election interference case.
This report arrives from legal news site, Above the Law, established to deliver news and analysis to law students, lawyers, and fans of legal drama. For complete coverage on this topic, refer to this article.