Trump judge issues limited gag order after former president makes disparaging post about court clerk

spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works to politics @lemmy.world – 394 points –
Trump judge issues limited gag order after former president makes disparaging post about court clerk
apnews.com

How long do you think it will take before Trump violates the order?

31

At least Trump can't taint the jury pool since his lawyers neglected to request a jury.

Limited? Why? I don't get it. Why are they being so lenient with him?

To avoid a First Amendment fight. Generally speaking, gag orders are on less sure footing than most people realize; they really do run up against prior restraint concerns. There's actually a fair amount of legal debate over them but the vast majority of defendants don't have the wherewithal, or a compelling reason, to really fight them; Trump does. So judges are likely leery of issuing too broad a gag order on him for fear of being overturned, which they never want anyway, and thereby setting a precedent that weakens all judges' ability to issue future gag orders.

Thank you for this explanation. I think it is important context to the discussion that needs to be spread far and wide so everyone better understands the legal calculus rather than getting mad because they think the judicial system is taking it easy on him.

The judicial system is taking it easy on him because he's rich* and powerful and will throw a tantrum whatever happens.

Here's a Tennessee judge who has prohibited these people from discussing their case at all or sharing the footage they obtained legally on cases that have been dismissed.

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/09/27/coffee-county-judge-denies-request-by-georgia-man-to-share-footage-of-traffic-stop/

Thousands of gag orders are issued from the bench that nobody hears about because there aren't news reporters covering every courtroom in the country. Trump is getting special treatement because our justice system is inherently unjust.

I know the judicial system is taking it easy on him.

AG Garland can go on TV 1000 more times and tell me he treats all cases equally, it's still a lie.

There is still internal politics in apolitical institutions. You are shitting on Merrick Garland for taking the measured approach, but to do anything else would simply add further fuel to the fire of the vindictive psycopathy of the christo-fascist cult. The right way to exhume Donald Trump from politics is through the slow, methodical, dispassionate legal process of boiling him alive on full public display until he finally breaks.

This was only ever going to work via imploying the "death by a thousand cuts" war-gaming that we are seeing. If you thought it was ever going to work via shock and awe or judicial blitzkrieg then you are beyond naive. If you are results oriented rather than emotionally motivated then I would think you could see that rather than yelling about some perceived lack of balls & strikes justice that does not exist in the real world.

Garland deliberately obstructed any investigation into Trump (or speaking his name out loud in front of him) over J6 until the Hutchinson testimony humiliated both the FBI and him.

As much as people would like to pretend he didn't, Garland sandbagged like hell to protect Trump. Reporting is that it was because he didn't want to seem political.

And it's really past time to encourage appeasement of MAGA rage. They will be angry regardless. There is no "right way" to behave that they will accept.

They apparently realize the implicit dangers of making a martyr out of a moron. It seems like the prevailing wisdom is to continue to give him enough tether to hang himself. For the record, I'm not sure I necessarily agree with that strategy, but I do understand it.

From what I've been reading the judges involved do not want to create any First Amendment issues.

From what I have seen, judges can do whatever the fuck they want in regards to a case and especially in their own courtroom.

Yep. Only because it's Trump and his massive cult of sycophants that they are using baby gloves with him.

Wish they had the balls to actually treat him like they would literally any other criminal. But I guess its better to try to avoid another Jan. 6th.

In some sick way, I would like to see them attempt another "rebellion". There absolutely won't be a minimal police force waiting for them this time around. Seeing those idiots go up against a proper riot force might be interesting to watch.

However, I understand that the risks outweigh the potential entertainment value. No more lives need to be lost or destroyed over this garbage.

The judge always has a duty to avoid appellate issues and therefore judges tend to be very lenient to make sure this case is done for good at the end of the court process.

And just because ppl say this is a trump thing, NO. Sam Bankman-Fried, is one of a lot of other prominent cases where they have been swaths of leniency as well.

It’s hilarious that anyone thinks they can keep that big mouthed manchild quiet.

I bet if he were in jail without access to a phone it would solve the problem.

Stop using logical arguments! Stop that right now!

Sheesh, I reckon only some 300lb beta cuck with tiny hands, fake tan and bad hair would comply with a gag order!

A strong, fearless leader would speak his mind and not be gagged by any witch hunt!

Trump has removed his social post attacking one of the judge's law clerks.

I bet there is going to be a "fundraising email" in my spam folder violating this order... lemmie check, brb. (I somehow got on the trump spam list years ago and they send between 3-4 emails (or more) a day trying to grift.)

..

Not yet. I'll add to this comment when and if it arrives.

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Judge Arthur Engoron issued the order, which applies to all parties in the case and pertains only to verbal attacks on court staff.

Engoron had suggested on Monday that testimony about Trump’s 2011 financial statement might be beyond the legal time limit applicable to Attorney General James’ lawsuit.

A lawyer for James’ office, Kevin Wallace, went on to suggest that he was using the 2011 document to show that Trump’s financial statements were prepared in the same manner — giving him and his company the final say over the valuations that appeared — for at least a decade.

Donald Bender, an accountant who prepared the financial statements for years, testified that Trump’s company supplied the numbers that went into the documents.

While grumbling that he’d rather be on the campaign trail, the Republican former president and 2024 GOP front-runner has used the waiting cameras in a courthouse hallway as a microphone for political messaging.

James scored an early victory when Engoron, a Democrat, ruled last week that Trump committed fraud by exaggerating the size of his penthouse at Trump Tower, claiming his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida was worth as much as $739 million and putting similar oversized valuations on office towers, golf courses and other assets.


The original article contains 937 words, the summary contains 206 words. Saved 78%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

If only we could gag this motherfucker in general.

why would we want to stop his self-incriminating tirade?

at least until he's actually behind bars (and broke)