Donald Trump urged a New York appeals court to continue to pause the gag order against him in his civil fraud trial, saying that threats to the judge and his law clerk do not “justify” limiting the former president’s constitutional right to defend himself.
Lawyers for the New York attorney general’s office and the court last week urged the appeals court to put the gag order back in place following “serious and credible” threats that have inundated Judge Arthur Engoron’s chambers since the trial began in October.
Trump’s attorneys wrote in a filing Monday that the former president has never threatened the judge or his principal law clerk and they can’t be held responsible for actions taken by others. They argued that Trump’s First Amendment right to criticize and call out his perception of bias by the judge and his law clerk without retribution is “essential” to maintaining public confidence in the trial.
Trump blatantly incites his followers into violence, and directs them toward specific targets. That is outside of the legal bounds of “freedom of speech”.
If stochastic terrorism (and beyond, frankly) is ungaggable even in a narrow sense for someone currently defending two civil suits and four criminal cases, I say we just call for Trump’s execution, too. First Amendment! Good for you; good for me, too.
Sometimes I feel like I should be like Cato the Elder and just add “Trump must be destroyed” to everything I say or write.
I always read your name as Theo Therone.
It was experimental. I had ‘thisone’ on another platform and was searching for a new home after this past summer’s speztastrophe.
WKUK: It’s Illegal to Say…
At what point does the court break out a physical gag? I hope it’s soon.
They’ll consider it as an option starting in 2037, and think about enacting it in 2059.
Will this become citable law? Like any random person involved in a civil case can publish libelous things about their judge and say “per us v trump you can’t do anything about it!”
