Former President Donald Trump attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 14, 2024. Michael M. Santiago/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
A New York court on Tuesday upheld a gag order that a lower court judge placed on former President Donald Trump in his ongoing criminal trial.
The order, imposed on the former president in March by Judge Juan Merchan, prohibits him from commenting on court staff, prosecutors, potential witnesses, and members of the jury. It was later expanded by Judge Merchan to include members of his own family, and the order doesn’t block President Trump from making comments about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge himself.
The judge “properly determined that petitioner’s public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses in this case as well,” read a decision from a panel of five judges on New York Supreme Court’s First Appellate Division, issued Tuesday.