Trump Gag Order... Case Judge Says "Do Not Defame Trial Participants"

A judge presiding over the criminal case concerning former President Donald Trump's 'sexual misconduct hush money allegations' has issued a gag order against him.

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On the 26th (local time), according to the New York Times (NYT) and others, Judge Juan Merchan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan ordered former President Trump not to disparage witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, or jurors related to this trial. Earlier, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney who indicted Trump, had requested the court to impose a gag order, citing Trump's history of attacking people he labeled as 'enemies' in other trials.

Former President Trump was brought to trial in March last year on charges of paying hush money through his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to prevent the disclosure of a past sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election, and for falsifying company records related to those payments. Among the four criminal trials Trump faces, this case is the only one with a trial date set before the November election. The main trial is scheduled to begin on April 15.

Under the gag order, former President Trump is prohibited from mentioning individuals involved in this case. Mentioning them indirectly through others is also forbidden. Prior to the gag order, Trump had posted disparaging remarks about the judge, his daughter, prosecutors, and witnesses on the social networking service (SNS) Truth Social, which he founded. Judge Merchan judged that "his statements were threatening, inflammatory, and derogatory."

In response, Trump's legal team has strongly opposed the gag order, arguing that it is an unconstitutional idea that severely infringes upon Trump's rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, which protects freedom of the press.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, handling the case related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and the Manhattan District Court, reviewing fraud allegations related to asset valuation manipulation by the Trump Organization, have also previously issued gag orders against former President Trump.

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