CNN
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Attorneys for Donald Trump requested the choose overseeing his prison hush cash case to terminate the gag order towards the previous president, saying it’s not justified since the trial is over.
“Now that the trial is concluded, the issues articulated by the federal government and the Courtroom don’t justify continued restrictions on the First Modification rights of President Trump – who stays the main candidate within the 2024 president election – and the American folks,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a letter to Judge Juan Merchan.
Within the letter despatched Monday and made public Tuesday, Trump’s attorneys stated the justification for the gag order was “to guard the integrity of this prison continuing and keep away from prejudice to the jury.”
The argument to carry the gag order is “even stronger” since President Joe Biden has publicly commented on the responsible verdict towards Trump, sure witnesses have commented and a presidential debate is scheduled for later this month, the letter states.
When requested concerning the standing of the gag order, a courtroom spokesman stated, “the order is a part of the courtroom document that has been made publicly accessible and it speaks for itself.”
The Manhattan District Lawyer’s workplace opposed Trump’s request in a letter filed Tuesday, stating that the courtroom nonetheless has an obligation to guard the integrity of the proceedings a minimum of till Trump is sentenced subsequent month.
“These pursuits haven’t abated, and the Courtroom has an obligation to guard the integrity of those proceedings and the honest administration of justice a minimum of by the sentencing listening to and the decision of any post-trial motions. The Folks’s opposition will tackle whether or not, if in any respect, it could be applicable to tailor points of the Courtroom’s Orders given the conclusion of the trial,” the letter states.
In March, simply earlier than the trial began Merchan granted prosecutors’ request for a gag order that precluded Trump from making public statements about any witnesses within the case, jurors, prosecutors, courtroom employees, or members of their household. Trump was not restricted from commenting on Merchan or Manhattan District Lawyer Alvin Bragg.
A consultant for Bragg declined to remark.
In imposing the gag order Merchan wrote, “Though this Courtroom didn’t subject an order limiting defendant’s speech on the inception of this case, selecting as an alternative to subject an admonition, given the character and influence of the statements made towards this Courtroom and a member of the family thereof, the District Lawyer and an assistant District Lawyer, the witnesses on this case, in addition to the character and influence of the extrajudicial statements made by Defendant within the D.C. Circuit case (which resulted within the D.C Circuit issuing an order limiting his speech), and provided that the eve of trial is upon us, it’s with out query that the imminency of the danger of hurt is now paramount.“
Merchan fined Trump $10,000 and located him in prison contempt for violating the gag order 10 occasions early within the trial and raised the prospect that he may need to jail Trump if he continued to take action.
This story has been up to date with further particulars.