Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed a gag order on former President Donald Trump, limiting what he can say in the context of his trial for actions taken following the 2020 election.
On Friday, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily lifted this order after Trump filed an emergency motion for a stay.
According to Fox News, Trump’s lawyers argued that such an action would be in violation of both the former president’s First Amendment rights and those of the public at large.
“No court in American history has imposed a gag order on a criminal defendant who is actively campaigning for public office — let alone the leading candidate for President of the United States,” they wrote in their filing on Thursday.
“The Gag Order violates the First Amendment rights of President Trump and over 100 million Americans who listen to him,” they added.
What’s more, the defense attorneys went on to complain that the order is “muzzling President Trump’s core political speech during a historic Presidential campaign.”
Fox News reported that Judge Chutkan has issued a gag order which prevents former President Trump from voicing any disparaging remarks about Special Counsel Jack Smith, members of his legal team, court staff, or witnesses.
This order has been met with opposition by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who filed a brief on the matter in late last month.
“Former President, and now Defendant, Donald Trump has said many things. Much that he has said has been patently false and has caused great harm to countless individuals, as well as to the Republic itself,” The Hill quoted it as stating.
“But Trump retains a First Amendment right to speak, and the rest of us retain a right to hear what he has to say,” the document went on to declare.
Last weekend, Fox News reported that Judge Arthur Engoron imposed a $10,000 fine against former President Donald Trump for attacking his clerk.
Trump denied this accusation. This action followed the judge’s prior penalty of $5,000 and warning of potential jail time due to a post still on Trump’s campaign website.
Additionally, Law & Crime reported that the judge extended this gag order to cover Trump’s legal team as well. Chutkan is not the only one with whom Trump must contend concerning these orders.
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