A New York appellate court reinstated a gag order on former US President Donald Trump in the state’s civil fraud trial against him and his family’s business. This follows after the Supreme Court of the State of New York denied Trump’s appeal to stay a gag order imposed by Judge Arthur Engoron. This order means that Trump and his lawyers are prohibited from making any public statements in or out of court about the judge’s staff.
Following the reinstatement of the gag order, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, referring to the trial as the most unfair in the history of New York. This has led to controversy as POLITICO confirmed that a series of tweets associated with Engoron’s wife, Dawn, were not originally posted by her.
In anticipation of the appellate court lifting the gag order, Trump had earlier challenged it under New York’s Article 78 proceedings and the US Constitution’s First Amendment. He claimed that Engoron’s gag order violated his right to free speech and labeled it as judicial overreach.
These orders have consequences beyond just the civil suit. Trump’s lawyers had appealed a similar order in his federal trial in Washington DC on similar constitutional grounds. The prosecutors in that trial cited this move as further evidence of “ongoing threats and harassment” from Trump.
The civil fraud trial against Trump started about two months ago. Trump, his children and the family’s business are alleged to have engaged in financial fraud, thereby obtaining favorable loan rates and tax breaks. The trial, expected to last until the end of December, is a bench trial, hence the outcome will be determined by Judge Engoron.
Trump, along with facing the civil charges, is also facing four criminal trials, encompassing a total of 91 state and federal charges. One such case also involves allegations of election interference during the 2020 US presidential election. The DC appeals court is yet to make a ruling on the issue of the gag order.