Photo: Alamy
A New York Court of Appeals has reinstated a gag order that had been suspended by appellate Judge David Friedman earlier this month, multiple outlets have reported.
According to the Associated Press, the appeals court made their decision on Thursday, after it was temporarily stayed for about two weeks. The gag order was initially suspended by Judge Friedman because he was concerned with President Trump’s free speech rights outside the courtroom.
The gag order was first issued on Oct. 3 by Judge Arthur Engoron, the judge presiding over the trial in New York, the AP reported.
The case, which is spearheaded by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, alleges that the president overinflated the value of his business assets on financial statements. However, issues with those claims seem to have have arisen at the trial, including a tepid testimony from ex-lawyer and convicted felon Michael Cohen, who testified that the president “didn’t” ask him to inflate business statements.
The president has been vocal in his criticism of the courtroom proceedings, sharing his scorching thoughts on AG James and Judge Engoron on Truth Social on a frequent basis.
On Thursday, he shared a series of screenshots from what he said was Judge Engoron’s wife’s alleged social media account that showed what appeared to be evidence of extreme anti-Trump bias.
Here is an example of one such alleged post shared by Trump, along with his caption:
The president also wrote, “This is the Judge’s Wife and Family that are putting these things out. I am not entitled to a Jury under this Statute. Can this be happening in America? This is the most unfair Trial in the History of New York, and I’ve had some pretty unfair trials!”
Per the AP, Judge Engoron has stated that he will enforce the reimplemented gag order “rigorously and vigorously” as the trial moves forward.
Before the appeals court ruled on the gag order, on Wednesday, Trump reiterated his sentiments on Truth Social, stating, “Judge Engoron and Letitia James should be impeached and removed from office for fraudulently reducing my Asset Values, by many times, in order to hurt and demean me.”