A New York court has barred former President Donald Trump from publishing evidence from his hush-money lawsuit on social media.
The Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Juan Merchan granted a protective order, requested by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, which restricts Donald Trump from publicly disclosing any news on social media platforms such as Truth Social, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, or YouTube without prior approval from the court, according to UPI.
The order also prohibits Trump's team from copying, disseminating, or disclosing sensitive materials to third parties. Additionally, prosecutors have called for Trump to only review "Limited Dissemination Materials" from prosecutors in the presence of his lawyers, without the ability to independently possess or share them.
The court order on Donald Trump comes as state prosecutors were preparing to turn over new evidence in the case to the defense.
The ex-POTUS will not be permitted to view "forensic images of witness cellphones," according to Judge Merchan's order, per NDTV. However, his lawyers can show him "approved portions" of the evidence after receiving approval from the court.
Integrity of Evidence Must Be Preserved
Both Donald Trump's attorneys and the Manhattan District Attorney's office did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The DA's request for a protective order was granted by the judge, with prosecutors arguing that they needed "safeguards that will protect the integrity of the materials," according to NBC News.
The Republican politician is charged with 34 felonies related to the falsification of records in a hush-money conspiracy involving payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Donald Trump faces multiple legal obstacles as he pursues reelection to the White House in the upcoming 2024 US presidential election.
