Lawyers Urge Lifting of Gag Order After Trump’s Guilty Verdict in New York Criminal Case

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump have asked the judge who presided over his business records falsification criminal trial in New York to lift a gag order banning him from commenting on court staff, witnesses, prosecutors, jurors, and others tied to the criminal case.

In a letter sent to Justice Juan Merchan on June 3, attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove argued the order imposed on their client in March amounts to a continued violation of his First Amendment rights.

Because the trial is now over, the gag order is no longer needed, President Trump’s lawyers further argued.

“Now that the trial is concluded, the concerns articulated by the government and the Court do not justify continued restrictions on the First Amendment rights of President Trump—who remains the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election—and the American people,” his lawyers wrote.

Attorneys for President Trump also cited recent actions by President Joe Biden’s campaign—including its decision to hold a press conference outside the New York court during closing arguments in President Trump’s trial—as one reason the gag order should be lifted.

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