Gag order

Justice Merchan has found the former president Trump willfully violated the court’s gag order in 9 of the 10 contempt charges levelled against him by prosecutors.
The judge, finding Trump violated the gag order for a 10th time, says the series of $1,000 fines may not be enough and threatens to put Trump in jail. 
::“(B)ecause this is now the tenth time that this Court has found Defendant in criminal contempt, spanning three separate motions, it is apparent that monetary fines have not, and will not, suffice to deter Defendant from violating this Court’s lawful orders,” Merchan wrote. “THEREFORE, Defendant is hereby put on notice that if appropriate and warranted, future violations of its lawful orders will be punishable by incarceration.”
* Judge finds Donald Trump in contempt for 10th time over gag order and threatens jail time cnn May 6, 2024: “The magnitude of this decision is not lost on me but at the end of the day I have a job to do,” the judge added. “So as much as I don’t want to impose a jail sanction … I want you to understand that I will if necessary and appropriate.” Merchan fined Trump $1,000 for the violation and ordered he pay the fine by close of business Friday. 
: and behind: In a statement, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung called the gag order “unconstitutional and un-American” and criticized the judge and his ruling. “President Trump has not violated this wrongful edict by a partisan operative,” he said. “The threat to throw the 45th President of the United States and the leading candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights is a Third World authoritarian tactic typical of Crooked Joe Biden and his comrades.”
Washington, CNN: Donald Trump falsely claimed Thursday afternoon that he is not allowed to testify in his own defense at a criminal trial in Manhattan over his alleged falsification of business records. He acknowledged Friday morning that he is indeed allowed to testify. After leaving the courtroom for the day on Thursday, Trump told reporters, “I’m not allowed to testify. I’m under a gag order. I guess, right?” He added, “I’m not allowed to testify, because this judge, who’s totally conflicted, has me under an unconstitutional gag order.” He continued by complaining that he’s “not allowed to talk” even when others attack him, then said again, “So I’m not allowed to testify because of an unconstitutional gag order.” Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. He is allowed to testify at the trial; the decision is entirely up to him. 
* https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/02/politics/fact-check-trump-testify-hush-money-trial/index.html 
* https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/30/opinions/trump-should-go-to-jail-contempt-gag-order-eisen/index.html
===nyc May 2024:===
Donald Trump’s latest attempt to end the gag order against him in the hush money criminal trial was denied by a New York appeals court on Tuesday. 14th of may
"We find that Justice Merchan properly weighed petitioner’s First Amendment Rights against the court’s historical commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice in criminal cases, and the right of persons related or tangentially related to the criminal proceedings from being free from threats, intimidation, harassment, and harm," according to the order.
===nyc April 2024:===
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s trial fined the former president $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order. Juan Merchan warned Mr Trump that he could face jail time if he continued to post insults about potential witnesses and the jury. 29.4.
In public remarks at a construction site early Thursday, Trump turned his comments towards David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher who would continue testifying later that morning.
"David's been very nice, a nice guy," Trump said, when asked by a reporter what he thought about Pecker's testimony so far.
Prosecutors said this comment also constituted a gag order violation.
"This is a message to Pecker -- be nice. It is a message to others. I have a platform and I will talk about you," Conroy said. "It is a message to everyone involved in this proceeding and this court."
:23rd A.
"The purpose of this hearing find out if the defendant, Mr. Trump, should be held in contempt" for one or all of these violations, Merchan said.
The second day of Donald Trump's hush-money trial got off to a rocky start for the former president's legal team. 
On Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan heard arguments about whether comments Mr Trump made about those involved in the case violated a gag order. 
Sparks quickly flew between his lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, and the judge. 
After prosecutors alleged 10 of his social media posts violated the order, Mr Blanche argued his client had a right to address "political attacks".
Judge Merchan was not buying it. 
Merchan repeatedly asked Blanche to clarify examples of when Trump was specifically responding to attacks from Cohen and Daniels on social media and grew visibly frustrated when Blanche failed to comply. 
“You’ve presented nothing,” Merchan said to Blanche. “I’ve asked you eight or nine times [to] show me the exact post he was responding to. You’ve been unable to do that even once.”
“President Trump is being very careful to comply with your order,” Blanche said at one point.
“You’re losing all credibility with the court,” Merchan responded. 
Trump is accused by the prosecution of routinely breaking a restriction imposed by the judge that prevents him from publicly attacking witnesses, prosecutors and relatives of court staff.
"He knows about the order, he knows what he's not allowed to do, but he does it anyway," prosecutor Christopher Conroy told the court. 
At stake for Mr Trump is a $10,000 fine and a warning that future violations of the order could lead to his imprisonment. 
The judge said he would reserve making a ruling until an unspecified time. In the break that followed the arguments, Mr Trump took to his social media site Truth Social to criticise Judge Merchan and claim that he was being unfairly blocked from defending himself against attacks.
=== nyc ===
=== nyc 19 apr 2024:===
Donald Trump has arrived at court and just spoke briefly with members of the media.
Most of his statement was directed at the gag order Justice Merchan has ordered.
"I'm not allowed to speak and I want to be able to speak," Trump says.
"The judge has to take off this gag order."
The gag order was initially imposed to stop Trump from verbally attacking court staff, potential jurors and witnesses.
It was then widened to include any criticism of the judge’s family members and relatives of Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg.
Justice Merchan has previously acknowledged Trump’s right to speak freely to Americans, but says such attacks “serve no legitimate purpose”.
Trump's statement just now also touched on the trial lasting "another four or five weeks". He told media it was not fair for him to be stuck in court when he could be campaiging.
* US special counsel Jack Smith asks judge to place gag order on Donald Trump. BBC 16 Sept 2023
15.9.23: 
=== Sonderermittler will Trump einschüchternde Aussagen verbieten lassen ===
Wegen Verbalattacken des früheren US-Präsidenten befürchtet Sonderermittler Jack Smith die Beeinflussung von Geschworenen und Zeugen vor dem anstehenden Prozess. Er fordert deshalb Konsequenzen. Trumps Reaktion folgte prompt.
Trumps Verbalattacken gegen Mitarbeiter des Justizministeriums, die Washingtoner Öffentlichkeit und Richterin Tanya Chutkan hätten bereits zu Drohungen seiner Anhänger gegen Staatsanwälte, das Gericht und potenzielle Geschworene geführt, legte Smith dar. Die Rhetorik des Ex-Präsidenten könne »handfeste Auswirkungen auf die Unparteilichkeit des Jury-Pools« haben, aus dem die Geschworenen für seinen Prozess ausgewählt werden. Auch Zeugen drohten durch Trumps heftige Äußerungen beeinflusst zu werden. ( Es folgen Beispiele. )
* https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/donald-trump-us-sonderermittler-fordert-redeverbot-vor-prozess-wegen-wahlverschwoerung-a-932fae56-4d2f-4d67-94ac-606099606ee2
Category:Justice