Former US President Donald Trump walks to speak to the media after being found guilty following his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City.
Seth Little | Afp | Getty Images
A New York judge on Tuesday lifted parts of a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump in his hush money trial, but kept some restrictions in place until Trump is convicted.
Judge Juan Merchan’s decision came two days before Trump is set to face President Joe Biden in the first of two presidential debates.
Merchan objected to parts of the gag order that barred Trump from making public statements about witnesses or jurors in the Manhattan Supreme Court trial that ended May 30 with Trump’s conviction on 34 felonies.
However, Merchan ruled that Trump would still be bound by the order’s restrictions on speaking about attorneys and staff at the Manhattan district attorney’s office and court, as well as their family members, if those statements could prejudice the case. Trump is allowed to speak about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The speech restrictions “were overwhelmingly supported by the record,” Merchan wrote, noting that two appeals courts in New York had rejected Trump’s efforts to appeal the gag order.
“However, circumstances have since changed,” the judge wrote. “The main part of this trial ended with the verdict and dismissal of the jury.”
Merchan wrote that his “strong preference” was to extend juror protections, adding that “there is ample evidence to justify continued concern for jurors.” While lifting that part of the confidentiality requirement, the judge ruled , that a ban on disclosing jury information remains in effect until further notice.
The trial centered on allegations that Trump falsified business records to cover up a hush-money payment shortly before the 2016 presidential election to porn star Stormy Daniels, who says she had sex with Trump years earlier.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11th. Each of the crimes charged against him carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison, although many experts expect Merchan to impose a much lighter sentence that does not include prison time.
When Trump was first sentenced on March 26, about three weeks before the trial began, he protested the gag order. Less than a week later, Merchan extended the silence order after Trump repeatedly targeted the judge’s adult daughter over her work for a Democratic political firm.
Trump violated the gag order 10 times during the historic trial. Merchan repeatedly accused Trump of contempt of court and warned him that future violations could land him in prison. The judge also ordered Trump to pay the maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung criticized Merchan in a statement Tuesday for refusing to lift the entire gag order.
“This is another unlawful decision by a highly controversial judge that is blatantly un-American as it muzzles President Trump, the front-runner in the 2024 presidential election, during the upcoming presidential debate on Thursday,” Cheung said.
Trump’s legal team will “immediately challenge” the order, Cheung said.
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2024-06-25 19:54:25
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