U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a gag order on President Donald Trump that limits what he can say about the case in public:
The order restricts Trump’s ability to publicly target court personnel, potential witnesses, or the special counsel and his staff. The order did not impose restrictions on disparaging comments about Washington, DC, – where the jury will take place – or certain comments about the Justice Department at large, both of which the government requested.“This is not about whether I like the language Mr. Trump uses,” Judge Tanya Chutkan said. “This is about language that presents a danger to the administration of justice.”“His presidential candidacy does not give him carte blanche to vilify public servants who are simply doing their jobs,” the judge added.
Chutkan did not say how she will enforce the gag order. Instead, the judge will “assess any consequences for Trump if and when he violates it.”
TRUMP REACYS:
Does the gag order violate Trump’s right to free speech? Trump could challenge it:
There are two ways Trump could bring a First Amendment challenge to Judge Chutkan’s gag order. He could appeal it now, saying it is an unconstitutional prior restraint on his free speech rights in the abstract. Or, if he later says something that she decides crossed the line and she imposes a sanction, like fining him, he could appeal that punishment in the context of whatever he specifically said.
Special Counsel Jack Smith asked Chutkan for a gag order due to Trump’s “past actions.”
Smith and the DC elites don’t like that Trump doesn’t hold back. He won’t grovel and act as a subordinate.
So far, Trump hasn’t posted about the gag order on Truth Social. He wrote this yesterday:
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