New York high court denies Trump appeal of fraud case gag order
by Ella Lee - 01/16/24 12:24 PM ET
New York’s top court has dismissed former President Trump’s appeal of a gag order imposed in his civil fraud trial, which came to a close last week.
The New York Court of Appeals tossed the challenge because it involved no “substantial constitutional question,” according to a Tuesday court filing. Trump’s legal team had argued that the former president’s speech was unlawfully restricted by the rule.
Judge Arthur Engoron imposed the gag order in October, barring Trump and his counsel from making comments about the trial judge’s staff. The order followed a post Trump made on his Truth Social account falsely deriding Engoron’s principal law clerk as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) “girlfriend” that included personally identifying information about her.
A Schumer spokesperson called the post “ridiculous, absurd, and false” in a statement to The Hill at the time.
After that, Engoron’s law clerk became an unwitting main character in the former president’s fraud trial. Trump and his lawyers accused her of acting as a “co-judge” in the case, which Engoron forcefully denied. The clerk played an active role in the trial, passing notes to and whispering with the judge.
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https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4411393-new-york-court-trump-appeal-fraud-case-gag-order/
