A New York judge ruled Friday that a limited gag order against Donald Trump should also apply to his lawyers, citing comments about his staff since the start of the former president’s fraud trial. He cited a flood of threats and harassment directed at his office.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron wrote in a blistering court order Friday afternoon that “the threats and actual violence resulting from intensified political rhetoric are well documented.”
“Since the trial began, my chambers have been flooded with hundreds of harassing and threatening phone calls, voicemails, emails, letters, and packages,” he wrote.
Friday’s order prohibits attorneys in the case from speaking publicly about confidential communications between the judge and his staff, either in or out of court. However, reference may be made to the clerk in the context of court dates and proceedings.
“The First Amendment right of defendants and their attorneys to comment on my staff is far outweighed by the need to protect them from intimidation and physical harm,” the judge wrote.
He added that any violation of the gag order would result in “significant sanctions.”
Engoron imposed similar restrictions on Trump on Oct. 3 after the former president shared a social media post attacking a judge’s chief law clerk. Since then, Trump has violated the gag order twice, and Engoron first fined him $5,000 and then $10,000.
Engoron’s latest order accuses two of Trump’s lawyers, Christopher Kise and Alina Haba, of “repeatedly making inappropriate comments” about the same clerks Trump attacked. did.
Kise and Hubba’s main complaint was the judge’s habit of using handwritten notes to communicate with court clerks, which Kise said gave an “improper impression.”
The clerk sits to Engoron’s right, opposite the witness box. Passing written notes allows communication without disrupting the proceedings.
Nevertheless, Kise tried to portray the memo as something sinister and conspiratorial, as if the praetor were a puppet master.
“There are other people who send you information very frequently,” he told Engoron in court Thursday.
These insinuations infuriated the judge, who warned Kise that he was considering supplementing the gag order.
“Sometimes I think there’s a bit of misogyny in the fact that you keep mentioning my chief law clerk, a woman,” he told Kise.
“I’m not a misogynist. I’m very happily married and have a 17-year-old daughter,” Kise said.
President Trump’s order only prohibits Engoron from attacking court officials. The former president will continue to be free to comment on the judge himself and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has brought extensive civil litigation.
James alleges that Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization and others engaged in a 10-year plan to inflate his net worth in order to receive various financial perks, including tax breaks and improved loan terms. are doing.
James is seeking about $250 million in damages and wants to bar Trump from running any new businesses in New York.
Engoron has already admitted liability to the defendants for fraudulently misrepresenting the value of real estate and other assets in its financial records. The trial is expected to resolve six other claims asserted by James.
Trump is expected to be called to the witness stand on Monday, following testimony from his son Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump this week.
In the days leading up to his testimony, Trump Sr. frequently attacked Engoron as a biased and “Trump-hating” judge.
