New York Court Upholds Trump’s Gag Order In Hush Money Case, Rejects Ex-President’s Appeal
A New York state court has upheld the gag order preventing former President Donald Trump from publicly criticising witnesses and others involved in his New York hush-money case.
The court on Tuesday upheld the order restricting Trump from speaking publicly about potential witnesses, jurors or court staff in his criminal hush money case.
Trump has repeatedly criticised the order and described it as a violation of his First Amendment rights.
In April, Judge Juan M. Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for repeatedly violating the gag order and warned that he could be jailed if he violated the gag order again.
On Tuesday, the court ruled that in his ruling, Judge Merchan properly weighed Trump’s First Amendment right to free speech “against the court’s historical commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice in criminal cases.”
At the heart of this case is a payment made days before Trump was elected president in 2016. His attorney at the time, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair. Trump has denied the allegation.
According to prosecutors, Cohen was reimbursed by Trump in a series of 12 monthly payments from the Trump Organization that were logged and characterised as checks for ongoing legal services.
