NY Appeals Court Rejects Trump Gag Order Appeal

On Thursday, a New York appellate court rejected Donald Trump‘s appeal of a gag order as part of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s hush-money case in which the former president has been convicted and faces sentencing later this year.

A panel of the mid-level state Appellate Division disagreed with Trump’s contention that the conclusion of the trial resulted in a “change in circumstances” warranting an end to the entire gag order, said a decision.

Judge Juan Merchan did remove limits on what Trump could say about trial witnesses and the jury after the verdict in late May, but kept restraints on comments about court staff, the DA’s staff, and family members of court staff and prosecutors.

Bragg’s team made submissions that demonstrated “threats received by District Attorney staff after the jury verdict continued to pose a significant and imminent threat,” the decision on Thursday noted.

Despite multiple setbacks, a spokesperson for Trump’s 2024 campaign said the former president “continues to forcefully challenge” the “decision to leave in place portions of the unconstitutional Gag Order,” according to NBC News.

In the lead-up to the verdict, Trump faced thousands of dollars in fines and a threat of jail time for speaking out in violation of the gag order that he claimed had infringed upon his First Amendment rights.

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A jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records to allegedly cover up a tryst with adult film star Stormy Daniels for a “catch-and-kill” scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump denied the affair and had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Merchan initially picked a July 11 date for sentencing, but approved a delay until at least mid-September while he considers whether an immunity ruling by the Supreme Court could have a bearing on the case. A decision is reportedly expected on September 6.

Another judge implemented a gag order against Trump in special counsel Jack Smith’s 2020 election case in Washington, D.C. Federal prosecutors also unsuccessfully sought a gag order in a Florida-based classified documents case, which has since been dismissed.

Trump has been trying to fend off a fourth prosecution in Georgia related to the 2020 election. It appears unlikely that any of the criminal cases — other than the one in New York — will reach the trial stage before the November election.