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<p>Following Donald Trump's conviction on criminal charges related to bribing a porn star for her silence, a New York court partly lifted a gag order on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday (June 25).</p>

<p>Though Trump's remarks regarding specific prosecutors and other case participants are still restricted, the amended order permits him to talk publicly about the prosecution's witnesses.</p>

<p>The gag order, according to Trump's attorneys, was suppressing his campaign speech and making it more difficult for him to refute Democratic President Joe Biden's criticisms when they square off on June 27.</p>

<p>Alvin Bragg's office of prosecutors in Manhattan stated that there was no longer a need to impose restrictions on Trump's comments about trial witnesses.</p>

<p>They did, however, ask Justice Juan Merchan to preserve limits on his statements regarding jurors, court staff, and individual prosecutors, citing safety concerns.</p>

<p>Prosecutors argued that such limits were still necessary, citing Trump supporters' attempts to identify members of the secret jury and threats of violence against them.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-ps14-billion-in-ppe-purchased-during-pandemic-destroyed-or-unused-bbc-735094">UK: PPE worth £1.4 billion purchased during pandemic destroyed or unused - Reports</a></strong></p>

<p>"There thus remains a critical need to protect the jurors in this case from attacks by the defendant and those he inspires to action," they stated in a court filing on June 20.</p>

<p>A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on May 30 of concealing his former attorney Michael Cohen's $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels was threatening to go public with her account of a sexual encounter with Trump before the 2016 election.</p>

<p>This was the first criminal trial of a US president.</p>

<p>Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, four days prior to his party's official nomination meeting for the presidential elections.</p>

<p>During the seven-week trial, Trump disobeyed the gag order 10 times. The court penalised him $10,000 for this infraction and threatened to put him in jail on May 6.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Following Donald Trump's conviction on criminal charges related to bribing a porn star for her silence, a New York court partly lifted a gag order on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday (June 25).

Following Donald Trump's conviction on criminal charges related to bribing a porn star for her silence, a New York court partly lifted a gag order on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday (June 25). Though Trump's remarks regarding specific prosecutors and other case participants are still restricted, the amended order permits him to talk publicly about the prosecution's witnesses. The gag order, according to Trump's attorneys, was suppressing his campaign speech and making it more difficult for him to refute Democratic President Joe Biden's criticisms when they square off on June 27. Alvin Bragg's office of prosecutors in Manhattan stated that there was no longer a need to impose restrictions on Trump's comments about trial witnesses. They did, however, ask Justice Juan Merchan to preserve limits on his statements regarding jurors, court staff, and individual prosecutors, citing safety concerns. Prosecutors argued that such limits were still necessary, citing Trump supporters' attempts to identify members of the secret jury and threats of violence against them. Also read: UK: PPE worth £1.4 billion purchased during pandemic destroyed or unused - Reports "There thus remains a critical need to protect the jurors in this case from attacks by the defendant and those he inspires to action," they stated in a court filing on June 20. A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on May 30 of concealing his former attorney Michael Cohen's $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels was threatening to go public with her account of a sexual encounter with Trump before the 2016 election. This was the first criminal trial of a US president. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, four days prior to his party's official nomination meeting for the presidential elections. During the seven-week trial, Trump disobeyed the gag order 10 times. The court penalised him $10,000 for this infraction and threatened to put him in jail on May 6. (With inputs from agencies)

Gag's up! Trump gets partial reprieve ahead of debate with Joe Biden

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The judge presiding over Donald Trump's criminal trial&nbsp;fined him $1,000 on Monday (May 6), for breaching the gag order for the tenth time.</p>

<p>Justice Juan Merchan cautioned that he would contemplate incarcerating Trump for any subsequent infractions. Merchan noted that the nine fines of $1,000 each imposed previously did not appear to dissuade Trump from violating the gag order, which prohibits him from publicly discussing jurors, witnesses, and the families of the judge and prosecutors if such remarks try to interfere with the case.</p>

<p>Merchan stated that he saw jail time as "truly the last resort" for several reasons, including the trial's disruption, the political implications of imprisoning a leading presidential candidate before an election, and the exceptional security challenges of detaining a former president with ongoing Secret Service protection.</p>

<p>Nonetheless, he said that Trump's persistent and deliberate violations of the gag order amounted to a "direct attack on the rule of law."</p>

<p>“I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary,” Merchan said from the bench in the absence of the jury.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kristi-noem-trump-vp-contender-suggests-bidens-dog-should-be-killed-too-718481">Also read |&nbsp;Kristi Noem, Trump VP contender, suggests Biden’s dog Commander should be killed too</a></p>

<p>Under New York law, breaching a court-issued gag order can result in fines reaching $1,000 or imprisonment for a maximum of 30 days.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Merchan imposed a $1,000 fine on Monday for an April 22 broadcast interview in which the Republican former president said: "That jury was picked so fast - 95% Democrats. The area's mostly all Democrat."</p>

<h2><strong>What's the case against Trump?</strong></h2>

<p>New York prosecutors have accused Trump of lying about his business records to hide a $130,000 payment to a porn star named Stormy Daniels, who says she had sex with him in 2006. Trump says he didn't do it and denies having sex with Daniels.</p>

<p>Trump often complains that he can't talk to voters much because of a rule that stops him from talking about the case.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Donald Trump to announce his second-in-command in a few weeks: Reports</strong></p>

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<p>Before a meeting on Monday, Trump didn't talk about Cohen, his old lawyer who will likely speak in the trial. But he kept saying that New York prosecutors are teaming up with President Joe Biden to hurt his chances in politics. He also said the judge has a problem because his daughter works for Democrats. Trump's lawyers tried to get the judge off the case, but they didn't succeed.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The judge presiding over Donald Trump's criminal trial fined him $1,000 on Monday (May 6), for breaching the gag order for the tenth time. Justice Juan Merchan cautioned that he would contemplate incarcerating Trump for any subsequent infractions.

The judge presiding over Donald Trump's criminal trial fined him $1,000 on Monday (May 6), for breaching the gag order for the tenth time. Justice Juan Merchan cautioned that he would contemplate incarcerating Trump for any subsequent infractions. Merchan noted that the nine fines of $1,000 each imposed previously did not appear to dissuade Trump from violating the gag order, which prohibits him from publicly discussing jurors, witnesses, and the families of the judge and prosecutors if such remarks try to interfere with the case. Merchan stated that he saw jail time as "truly the last resort" for several reasons, including the trial's disruption, the political implications of imprisoning a leading presidential candidate before an election, and the exceptional security challenges of detaining a former president with ongoing Secret Service protection. Nonetheless, he said that Trump's persistent and deliberate violations of the gag order amounted to a "direct attack on the rule of law." “I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary,” Merchan said from the bench in the absence of the jury. Also read | Kristi Noem, Trump VP contender, suggests Biden’s dog Commander should be killed too Under New York law, breaching a court-issued gag order can result in fines reaching $1,000 or imprisonment for a maximum of 30 days. Merchan imposed a $1,000 fine on Monday for an April 22 broadcast interview in which the Republican former president said: "That jury was picked so fast - 95% Democrats. The area's mostly all Democrat." What's the case against Trump? New York prosecutors have accused Trump of lying about his business records to hide a $130,000 payment to a porn star named Stormy Daniels, who says she had sex with him in 2006. Trump says he didn't do it and denies having sex with Daniels. Trump often complains that he can't talk to voters much because of a rule that stops him from talking about the case. Also watch | Donald Trump to announce his second-in-command in a few weeks: Reports Before a meeting on Monday, Trump didn't talk about Cohen, his old lawyer who will likely speak in the trial. But he kept saying that New York prosecutors are teaming up with President Joe Biden to hurt his chances in politics. He also said the judge has a problem because his daughter works for Democrats. Trump's lawyers tried to get the judge off the case, but they didn't succeed. (With inputs from agencies)

Judge fines Trump $1,000 for 10th gag order breach, warns of jail time

<p>Lawyers for Donald Trump were met with scepticism Monday (Nov 20) as they urged an appeals court to revoke a gag order in his election interference case -- although the judges appeared inclined to narrow the wording to safeguard his right to criticise his prosecution.</p>

<p>Judge Tanya Chutkan, overseeing the federal case against the former US president in Washington for an alleged criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, restricted statements that "target" prosecutors, court personnel and witnesses.</p>

<p>The order sought to put an end to incendiary remarks against individuals by Trump -- who has repeatedly called chief prosecutor Jack Smith "deranged" and his colleagues "thugs" -- and to stop the former president publicly attacking potential witnesses.</p>

<p>Chutkan did recognise Trump's right to criticise his successor Joe Biden, whom the Republican frontrunner will likely face as he bids for a return to the White House in next year's presidential election.</p>

<p>But Trump argues that the gag order, currently temporarily lifted during his appeal, runs up against First Amendment protections guaranteeing free speech.</p>

<p>His lawyers say the restrictions on him in the trial, set to start in March, will have an undue influence on his 2024 campaign.</p>

<p>"There's a balance that has to be undertaken here, and it's a very difficult balance in this context," one of the three judges on the appeals panel said, summarising the stakes of the Washington hearing, which lasted more than two hours.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"And we certainly want to make sure that the criminal trial process and its integrity and its truth-finding function are protected. But we've got to use a scalpel here and not step into really sort of skewing the political arena."</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Donald Trump returns to the US-Mexico border, reaches Texas to promote hard-line immigration agenda</strong></p>

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<p>Trump's lawyer, John Sauer, argued that even the smallest restriction on his client's expression would be unconstitutional unless based on "extraordinarily compelling" evidence of damage to the integrity of the trial, and the risk of repeated harm.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"There is near complete overlap between the issues in the case and the issues in the political campaign," he said.</p>

<h2><strong>'Cowards and weaklings'</strong></h2>

<p>The government argues that while there is no problem with Trump broadly criticising his case and the institutions involved in his prosecution, he should not be allowed to go after individuals.</p>

<p>Prosecutors say some of the Republican's statements about his trial "consist of ad hominem attacks using inflammatory language likely to arouse angry or violent feelings in the listener, rather than reasoned argument."</p>

<p>Prosecutor Cecil VanDevender highlighted a "very clear" pattern showing that incendiary personal attacks by Trump led to "threats, intimidation" against his targets by supporters of the ex-president.</p>

<p>The panel suggested that the distinction was sometimes tenuous, noting that the case -- one of four criminal prosecutions faced by Trump -- is sometimes referred to as the "Jack Smith" trial.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-trump-pledges-to-scrap-bidens-asia-trade-initiative-if-elected-660234"><strong>Also read:&nbsp;US: Donald Trump pledges to scrap Biden`s Asia trade initiative if elected</strong></a></p>

<p>The judges also drilled into the prosecution's position that Trump should be banned from assailing potential witnesses, pointing out that this could deny him the right to respond to public criticism by well-known opponents such as former Trump administration officials. &nbsp;</p>

<p>To clarify the restrictions, Chutkan cited a post that Trump made on his Truth Social website questioning whether his former chief of staff Mark Meadows took an immunity deal to testify against him, saying only "weaklings and cowards" would do so.</p>

<p>The judge said that sort of speech should be restricted.</p>

<p>The debate Monday also focused on the exact definition of the word "target" -- described as "vague" by the defense, in comments echoed by influential civil rights campaigners.</p>

<p>The timetable for a decision was not immediately clear but no ruling on the gag order was expected Monday.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Lawyers for Donald Trump were met with scepticism Monday (Nov 20) as they urged an appeals court to revoke a gag order in his election interference case -- although the judges appeared inclined to narrow the wording to safeguard his right to criticise his prosecution.

Lawyers for Donald Trump were met with scepticism Monday (Nov 20) as they urged an appeals court to revoke a gag order in his election interference case -- although the judges appeared inclined to narrow the wording to safeguard his right to criticise his prosecution. Judge Tanya Chutkan, overseeing the federal case against the former US president in Washington for an alleged criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, restricted statements that "target" prosecutors, court personnel and witnesses. The order sought to put an end to incendiary remarks against individuals by Trump -- who has repeatedly called chief prosecutor Jack Smith "deranged" and his colleagues "thugs" -- and to stop the former president publicly attacking potential witnesses. Chutkan did recognise Trump's right to criticise his successor Joe Biden, whom the Republican frontrunner will likely face as he bids for a return to the White House in next year's presidential election. But Trump argues that the gag order, currently temporarily lifted during his appeal, runs up against First Amendment protections guaranteeing free speech. His lawyers say the restrictions on him in the trial, set to start in March, will have an undue influence on his 2024 campaign. "There's a balance that has to be undertaken here, and it's a very difficult balance in this context," one of the three judges on the appeals panel said, summarising the stakes of the Washington hearing, which lasted more than two hours. "And we certainly want to make sure that the criminal trial process and its integrity and its truth-finding function are protected. But we've got to use a scalpel here and not step into really sort of skewing the political arena." Watch: Donald Trump returns to the US-Mexico border, reaches Texas to promote hard-line immigration agenda × Trump's lawyer, John Sauer, argued that even the smallest restriction on his client's expression would be unconstitutional unless based on "extraordinarily compelling" evidence of damage to the integrity of the trial, and the risk of repeated harm. "There is near complete overlap between the issues in the case and the issues in the political campaign," he said. 'Cowards and weaklings' The government argues that while there is no problem with Trump broadly criticising his case and the institutions involved in his prosecution, he should not be allowed to go after individuals. Prosecutors say some of the Republican's statements about his trial "consist of ad hominem attacks using inflammatory language likely to arouse angry or violent feelings in the listener, rather than reasoned argument." Prosecutor Cecil VanDevender highlighted a "very clear" pattern showing that incendiary personal attacks by Trump led to "threats, intimidation" against his targets by supporters of the ex-president. The panel suggested that the distinction was sometimes tenuous, noting that the case -- one of four criminal prosecutions faced by Trump -- is sometimes referred to as the "Jack Smith" trial. Also read: US: Donald Trump pledges to scrap Biden`s Asia trade initiative if elected The judges also drilled into the prosecution's position that Trump should be banned from assailing potential witnesses, pointing out that this could deny him the right to respond to public criticism by well-known opponents such as former Trump administration officials. To clarify the restrictions, Chutkan cited a post that Trump made on his Truth Social website questioning whether his former chief of staff Mark Meadows took an immunity deal to testify against him, saying only "weaklings and cowards" would do so. The judge said that sort of speech should be restricted. The debate Monday also focused on the exact definition of the word "target" -- described as "vague" by the defense, in comments echoed by influential civil rights campaigners. The timetable for a decision was not immediately clear but no ruling on the gag order was expected Monday. (With inputs from agencies)

US: Judges signal narrowing wording in 2021 gag order to offer much-needed relief to Trump

<p>A judge fined former US President Donald Trump $5000 for violating the terms of a gag order after a post attacking a court clerk remained on his campaign website. The Republican frontrunner for the US presidency has also been warned about possible imprisonment.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-slapped-with-gag-order-in-2020-election-subversion-case-647735">Trump slapped with gag order in 2020 election subversion case</a></strong></p>

<p>On October 3, a&nbsp;partial gag order by a judge had restricted&nbsp;Trump from making statements that target prosecutors, potential witnesses, and the judge's staff in relation in a case. Trump was found in violation of the same October 3 gag order, it has been revealed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Notably, this gag order is different from the one Trump is facing in a 2020 election subversion case.</p>

<p>"Donald Trump has received ample warning from this Court as to the possible repercussions of violating the gag order. He specifically acknowledged that he understood and would abide by it," Judge Arthur Engoron said in his order Friday.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Donald Trump: This is a witch-hunt by a radical lunatic</strong></p>

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<p>"Accordingly, issuing yet another warning is not longer appropriate; this Court is way behind the 'warning' stage," Judge Engoron reportedly said.</p>

<p>On October 3, Engoron had issued a partial gag order on all parties not to speak about any members of the court staff after Trump posted on Truth Social attacking Engoron’s clerk. The post claimed she was a "girlfriend" to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. Trump had also posted apicture of the two of them together.</p>

<p>The post, following the October 3 gag order,&nbsp;was subsequently removed from Truth Social platform.</p>

<p>However,&nbsp;it was not erased from Donald Trump’s campaign website, DonaldJTrump.com.</p>

<p>Engoron on Friday (Oct 20)&nbsp;described it as a "blatant violation" of the gag order and indicated&nbsp;that the violations could result in "imprisonment."</p>

<p>"I learned that the subject post was never removed from the website," he said. "And, in fact, had been on that website for the past 17 days. I understand that it was removed late last night but only in response to an email."</p>

<p>Trump's lawyer Chris Kise said it was "inadvertent" that the post was able to live on the "back page" of Trump’s campaign website.</p>

<p>"Truly this appears to be inadvertent," Kise said, adding, "I certainly apologise on behalf of my clients."</p>

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A judge fined former US President Donald Trump $5000 for violating the terms of a gag order after a post attacking a court clerk remained on his campaign website.

A judge fined former US President Donald Trump $5000 for violating the terms of a gag order after a post attacking a court clerk remained on his campaign website. The Republican frontrunner for the US presidency has also been warned about possible imprisonment. Also read | Trump slapped with gag order in 2020 election subversion case On October 3, a partial gag order by a judge had restricted Trump from making statements that target prosecutors, potential witnesses, and the judge's staff in relation in a case. Trump was found in violation of the same October 3 gag order, it has been revealed. Notably, this gag order is different from the one Trump is facing in a 2020 election subversion case. "Donald Trump has received ample warning from this Court as to the possible repercussions of violating the gag order. He specifically acknowledged that he understood and would abide by it," Judge Arthur Engoron said in his order Friday. Also watch | Donald Trump: This is a witch-hunt by a radical lunatic × "Accordingly, issuing yet another warning is not longer appropriate; this Court is way behind the 'warning' stage," Judge Engoron reportedly said. On October 3, Engoron had issued a partial gag order on all parties not to speak about any members of the court staff after Trump posted on Truth Social attacking Engoron’s clerk. The post claimed she was a "girlfriend" to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. Trump had also posted apicture of the two of them together. The post, following the October 3 gag order, was subsequently removed from Truth Social platform. However, it was not erased from Donald Trump’s campaign website, DonaldJTrump.com. Engoron on Friday (Oct 20) described it as a "blatant violation" of the gag order and indicated that the violations could result in "imprisonment." "I learned that the subject post was never removed from the website," he said. "And, in fact, had been on that website for the past 17 days. I understand that it was removed late last night but only in response to an email." Trump's lawyer Chris Kise said it was "inadvertent" that the post was able to live on the "back page" of Trump’s campaign website. "Truly this appears to be inadvertent," Kise said, adding, "I certainly apologise on behalf of my clients." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Donald Trump fined $5000 for violating gag order, warned of possible imprisonment

<p>A gag order by a US District Judge restricted former US President Donald Trump from making statements that target prosecutors, potential witnesses, and the judge's staff in relation to the 2020 election subversion case.</p>

<p>The gag order was imposed by the US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan.</p>

<h2><strong>What does it mean?</strong></h2>

<p>The order is a pivotal development in the federal case which accuses Trump of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.</p>

<p>The gag order also underscores the complexities of prosecuting a Republican presidential front-runner who has made attacking the case central to his campaign.</p>

<h2><strong>Why gag order against Donald Trump?</strong></h2>

<p>Special counsel Jack Smith's team had expressed concerns about Trump's statements that allegedly disparaged prosecutors, the judge, and potential witnesses.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-slapped-with-gag-order-after-rebuking-judges-clerk-in-social-media-post-642385">Trump slapped with gag order after rebuking Judge's clerk in social media post</a></strong></p>

<p>They argued that such comments risked diluting public confidence in the justice system and could intimidate witnesses and potential jurors.</p>

<h2><strong>What did Judge Chutkan say?</strong></h2>

<p>Chutkan clarified that Trump remains free to criticise the Justice Department generally and express his belief that the case is politically motivated.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She, however, added that the former president cannot engage in a "smear campaign" against prosecutors and court personnel, as no other criminal defendant would be permitted to do so.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;US: Trump civil fraud trial continues in New York</strong></p>

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<p>"No other criminal defendant would be allowed to do so, and I’m not going to allow it in this case," she said.</p>

<p>Responding to Trump's lawyers saying that the proposed order is a violation of First Amendment Rights,&nbsp;Judge Chutkan said: "You keep talking about censorship like the defendant has unfettered First Amendment rights. He doesn't," Chutkan said, according to the TIME magazine. "We are not talking about censorship here. We are talking restrictions to ensure there is a fair administration of justice on this case."</p>

<h2><strong>Trump's response</strong></h2>

<p>At the time of filing this report, Trump himself had not reacted to the development related to the gag order imposed on him.</p>

<p>Trump’s lawyer John Lauro accused prosecutors of "seeking to censor a political candidate in the middle of a campaign." But Judge Tanya reportedly interrupted by stating that Trump "does not have a right to say and do exactly as he pleases."</p>

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A gag order by a US District Judge restricted former US President Donald Trump from making statements that target prosecutors, potential witnesses, and the judge's staff in relation to the 2020 election subversion case.

A gag order by a US District Judge restricted former US President Donald Trump from making statements that target prosecutors, potential witnesses, and the judge's staff in relation to the 2020 election subversion case. The gag order was imposed by the US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan. What does it mean? The order is a pivotal development in the federal case which accuses Trump of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The gag order also underscores the complexities of prosecuting a Republican presidential front-runner who has made attacking the case central to his campaign. Why gag order against Donald Trump? Special counsel Jack Smith's team had expressed concerns about Trump's statements that allegedly disparaged prosecutors, the judge, and potential witnesses. Also read | Trump slapped with gag order after rebuking Judge's clerk in social media post They argued that such comments risked diluting public confidence in the justice system and could intimidate witnesses and potential jurors. What did Judge Chutkan say? Chutkan clarified that Trump remains free to criticise the Justice Department generally and express his belief that the case is politically motivated. She, however, added that the former president cannot engage in a "smear campaign" against prosecutors and court personnel, as no other criminal defendant would be permitted to do so. Also watch | US: Trump civil fraud trial continues in New York × "No other criminal defendant would be allowed to do so, and I’m not going to allow it in this case," she said. Responding to Trump's lawyers saying that the proposed order is a violation of First Amendment Rights, Judge Chutkan said: "You keep talking about censorship like the defendant has unfettered First Amendment rights. He doesn't," Chutkan said, according to the TIME magazine. "We are not talking about censorship here. We are talking restrictions to ensure there is a fair administration of justice on this case." Trump's response At the time of filing this report, Trump himself had not reacted to the development related to the gag order imposed on him. Trump’s lawyer John Lauro accused prosecutors of "seeking to censor a political candidate in the middle of a campaign." But Judge Tanya reportedly interrupted by stating that Trump "does not have a right to say and do exactly as he pleases." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Trump slapped with gag order in 2020 election subversion case