Former President Donald Trump's gag order is likely to be lifted following the jury's verdict in the New York hush money trial.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchán previously prohibited the former president from speaking about witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case. On April 1, Merchan expanded an existing gag order to make clear that it also applies to family members after Trump disparaged the judge's daughter.
The 77-year-old president has repeatedly criticized the gag order throughout the trial. Legal experts anticipate that Trump will resume his public comments and social media activity once Judge Juan Merchán lifts the order.
“It's totally unconstitutional. I'm not allowed to talk, but people are allowed to talk about me,” Trump said, while speaking to media outside the courtroom on April 23.
The judge found Trump in contempt and fined him $10,000, saying ten of Trump's media posts and statements violated the order.
Trump has been convicted of all 34 felonies related to falsifying business records. According to the charges, Trump made unreported payments to his former lawyer Michael Cohen of $130,000 given to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
However, Trump denied any wrongdoing. He also denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels.
Judges impose gag orders to safeguard judicial proceedings from outside influences.
“When it comes to Trump, he has an extraordinary amount of power in terms of the visibility of his social media posts,” said New York-based criminal defense attorney Richard Willstatter.
“It's extraordinarily dangerous to expose people to that. The court has an institutional interest in protecting not only these jurors, but also other people who could serve as jurors,” he said.
These orders are rare in New York State courts. However, they have been used in high-profile federal cases, such as those involving former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his ally Roger Stone.
Trump's significant social media presence makes those orders particularly challenging.
Legal experts hope that while Trump regains the freedom to criticize witnesses and jurors, the judge will maintain a protective order preventing the disclosure of jurors' personal information.
Trump faces a similar gag order imposed by US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C.
