In a recent development, a New York appeals court has dismissed former President Donald Trump's plea to terminate a gag order linked to his hush money criminal case.
The court rejected Trump's contention that his May conviction "constitutes a change in circumstances" that justifies the lifting of the restrictions.
According to ABC News, a panel of five judges in the state's mid-level appellate court upheld the decision of trial judge Juan M. Merchan to extend parts of the gag order until Trump's sentencing. The judges noted that "the fair administration of justice necessarily includes sentencing."
This ruling was issued a day after Trump's legal team attempted to submit documents requesting the appellate court to immediately revoke the gag order. The court, anticipating its impending decision, dismissed the filing, which labeled the restrictions as an unconstitutional, election-interfering constraint on Trump's freedom of speech as he contemplates a return to the presidency.
In a draft of the proposed filing given to The Associated Press, Trumps lawyers argued that the entry of Vice President Kamala Harris into the presidential race on the Democratic side lends new urgency to the matter. They contend that Harris, as a former prosecutor, is positioning herself against a convicted felon.
Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, wrote, It is unconscionable that Harris can speak freely about this case, but President Trump cannot. Blanche refrained from commenting on the court's ruling on Thursday.
Trumps legal team has made multiple attempts to get the gag order lifted. Their most recent battle reached the states intermediate appeals court, the Appellate Division, after they failed to make headway with the states highest court. The Court of Appeals declined to hear Trumps gag order challenge last month, determining it did not present substantial constitutional issues that would necessitate immediate intervention.
Merchan imposed the gag order in March, shortly before the trial commenced, in response to concerns about Trump's tendency to target individuals involved in his cases. During the trial, Merchan held Trump in contempt of court and fined him $10,000 for violations, warning him of potential imprisonment for further violations.
In June, the judge eased some restrictions, allowing Trump to comment on witnesses and jurors but maintaining a ban on discussing trial prosecutors, court staff, and their families, including the judge's daughter, until his sentencing.
Trump, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, was initially slated to be sentenced on July 11. However, Merchan delayed it until Sept. 18, pending his consideration of a defense request to overturn the conviction following the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling.
On May 30, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying records to conceal a potential sex scandal, marking him as the first former president convicted of a crime. The conviction, on 34 felony counts, stemmed from what prosecutors described as an attempt to hide a hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Trump denies Daniels' claim of a sexual encounter with him a decade earlier.
Prosecutors alleged that the payment to Daniels was part of a larger scheme to silence individuals who might have shared potentially damaging stories alleging Trump's extramarital affairs during the 2016 campaign.
Trump has vowed to appeal his conviction, but he cannot do so until he is sentenced.
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