A New York judge on Tuesday partially lifted a gag order imposed on former President Trump’s speech in his money hush criminal case.
O updated terms allow Trump to speak again about trial witnesses, including Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, whom he incessantly attacked. The partial lifting of the order comes just days before the first presidential debate of 2024 on Thursday, where Trump is expected to address his conviction in the case.
The gag order remains in effect when it comes to prosecutors overseeing the case, with the exception of District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) as well as Judge Juan Merchan, although Merchan said he would lift those restrictions following the July 11 sentencing. .
The partial suspension will allow Trump to address the jury that convicted him last month of 34 criminal charges, although the former president remains under a separate protective order that prohibits him from publicly disclosing his identities.
Merchan reluctantly lifted those restrictions, saying it would be his “strong preference” to extend juror protections, as Bragg’s office had urged.
“However, circumstances have changed now. The trial portion of these proceedings ended when the verdict was rendered and the jury discharged,” Merchan wrote in his decision.
Although the ruling comes just two days before Trump faces President Biden in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle on Thursday, the event is not mentioned in the judge’s order.
Trump was convicted of falsifying business records last month in connection with a secret payment his former fixer, Cohen, made to Daniels, a porn star, before the 2016 election to keep her story of an alleged affair with Trump secret. Trump denied the case and vowed to appeal the guilty verdict.
He has long criticized the gag order as a violation of his First Amendment rights, highlighting his status as a presumptive Republican presidential nominee. After the trial ended, Trump’s lawyers demanded that the judge lift the restrictions.
In Tuesday’s order, Merchan defended his original decision to impose the order, noting that appeals courts upheld it.
“Both orders were specifically tailored to address the significant concerns regarding Defendant’s extrajudicial speech,” Merchan wrote. “The Orders were overwhelmingly supported by the record.”
Merchan found that Trump violated the gag order on 10 occasions before and during his trial, fining him $1,000 each and warning that additional violations could lead to prison time.
The jury’s guilty verdict made Trump the first former US president convicted. Bragg has so far declined to say whether his office will seek prison time for Trump.
Updated at 2:02 p.m. ET
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
