A rare win: Federal judge lifts lower court judge’s gag order on Trump — for now

20

On Friday, a federal appeals court paused an Oct. 17 gag order placed against former President Donald Trump in his 2020 election case by district Judge Tanya Chutkan, who had forced Trump into silence regarding the court proceedings.

The appeals court also ordered that the trial be expedited, with oral arguments scheduled for Nov. 20.

“The purpose of this administrative stay is to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion for a stay pending appeal and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion,” the appeals court wrote.

Chutkan’s gag order, issued at the request of Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, had prevented Trump from making any criticism of Smith or his staff, or anyone associated with the court, including witnesses in the trial

Trump asked the appeals court Thursday to override Chutkan’s order, calling it a “sweeping, viewpoint-based prior restraint on the core political speech of a major Presidential candidate.”

Trump is supported by a majority of Republicans and, at this point, appears poised to become the Republican Party’s nominee for president in 2024.

20 COMMENTS

  1. The gag order was a grandstanding stunt by a known DNC attack hound (Smith). It was designed to get Trump to violate it to create a pretext for further censure.

    While gag orders are common enough, none have ever been put on a leading candidate for POTUS. If enforced as designed, it would have muzzled Trumps ability to respond to political critics. There are damn few higher courts who are willing to set that precedent.

    I remain amazed at the lack of competence by Trumps lawyers. This stupid case should have been challenged on its merits the day it was set in motion.

    • Trump still has the ability to bloviate, but not legally cause threats to the lives of court employees, witnesses, jurors and their families.

      I too am amazed at Trump’s lawyers (there are so many of them!), but for different reasons.

      • Don’t be stupid. Trump has never threatened anyone’s lives. Unless you’re one of those idiots who screams that free speech kills people.

        Oh wait. I just answered my own question.

        Go back to ADN. You’re not smart enough to play in my sandbox.

    • “While gag orders are common enough, none have ever been put on a leading candidate for POTUS.

      What a ridiculous statement, how many POTUS’s have turned out to be a career criminal and a traitor? How many former POTUS’s have incited violence with their lies?

        • America’s 2nd most famous traitor was never convicted of treason or any other crime. None the less, Benedict Arnold was a traitor, no different than Benedict Donald. Judge Engoron found Trump guilty of fraud. While that ruling is a civil ruling, the finding that Trump is a fraudster also indicates he is a criminal. You cannot commit fraud without being a criminal.

  2. I feel as if I am living a nightmare that I can’t wake up from. I ask myself how things could have gone so wrong. I love this country so very deeply but I fear the pendulum has swung so far left of reality that I may not live long enough for it to swing back. “AMERICA, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! 🇺🇸God Bless us all.”

  3. So the judge responded by gagging his lawyers. Why not just order them all taken out back and shot?

    This is so beyond banana republic stuff.

    • The back-story per Wikipedia about O. Henry’s coining of the term in the early 20th century of ‘banana republics’ in Honduras is much more intriguing than following the tawdry news stories about the pathetically disreputable trumphian First Family. And, now, I hear the price of bananas is increasing further, as well as pineapples — although a lot of the plunderer criminality which toppled Queen Liliukalani in Hawaii is still entrenched in American politics and business economic history. Its interest piques me as the snow crab and wild salmon harvests crater. O. Henry couldn’t possibly have been aware of global warming effects, but working in a field like pharmacy which inextricably connects science and business, he knew a lot about white collar crime to be sure.

  4. If the Democrat owned and manipulated DOJ Garland had his way Trump would be sitting in a DC prison cell with no access to the outside world at least until Joe Briben gets reelected so he can “finish the job” of destroying America and repay the Russian Mafia He and Hunter were doing business with in Ukraine for the past couple decades.

    And then after He gets out He will have the task of settling WW3 Joe is feverishly working on with the Ventriloquist who continually lets his dummy fall down the stairs and stumble around the stage in public.

  5. Such a gag order would be an attack on the freedom of the press which is required to “keep” a Republic form of government;
    isn’t it?

Comments are closed.