On Thursday, a New York appeals court reinstated a gag order against former United States President Donald Trump.
The order prohibits the Republican businessman from commenting about court personnel after repeatedly disparaging a law clerk in his New York civil trial. The decision comes two weeks after an individual appellate judge put Trump's gag order on hold while the appeals process played out.
Donald Trump Gag Order
Judge Arthur Engoron said he plans to enforce the gag order against Trump "rigorously and vigorously." On the other hand, Trump's attorney, Christopher Kise, called the decision a "tragic day for the rule of law."
A spokesperson for the Republican businessman's 2024 presidential campaign, Steven Cheung complained that the judge's gag order was "nothing but attempted election interference, which is failing terribly."
The judge imposed the gag order on Oct. 3 after Trump posted on social media a derogatory comment about Engoron's law clerk. The post included a baseless allegation about the individual's personal life and came on the second day of New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit, as per the Associated Press.
During the first few weeks of the trial, Engoron fined Trump $15,000 for violating the gag order. He later expanded the order, which initially covered only parties in the case, to include lawyers. This came after the Republican businessman's attorneys questioned clerk Allison Greenfield's prominent role on the bench.
Greenfield is seen sitting alongside the judge, exchanging notes and advising him during testimony in the trial. Trump's lawyers later sued Engoron, challenging his gag order as an abuse of power.
State lawyers supported Engoron's gag order, arguing that protecting the judge's staff was a reasonable step. Additionally, an attorney for the court system tied the former president's comments to an uptick in nasty calls and messages directed at the judge and law clerk.
Verbal Attacks on Court Staff
Following the reinstatement of the gag order, Trump renewed his attacks on Engoron's wife. According to The Guardian, the former president talked about the judge's partner and clerk on his Truth Social media platform.
He called the judge's wife, Dawn Engoron, a "Trump-hating wife" and said that she and her husband's law clerk had "taken over control of the New York State Witch Hunt Trial." He said that the lawsuit was aimed at him, his family, and the Republican Party as a whole.
After Engoron's decision regarding the order, Trump posted screenshots of vulgar and profane anti-Trump messages on X, formerly known as Twitter. He alleged that the posts were made by Dawn, which prompted the judge's wife to swiftly assert that she does not have an account on the social media platform.
The messages and threats sent to Engoron and his clerk last week numbered hundreds. Greenfield received 20 to 30 calls daily to her personal cell phone and 30 to 50 messages daily on social media platforms. She also received two personal email addresses, said CNN.
