(TheRedWire.com) – On Tuesday, a top court in New York dismissed former President Donald Trump’s challenge to his hush-money case gag order which is blocking him from making statements attacking those involved in the trial.
The gag order was first imposed weeks before the start of the Manhattan trial and specifically blocks Trump from making any comments about court staff, witnesses, jurors, and the family members of the judge. However, the two people not protected by this gag order are Judge Juan Merchan himself and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought forward the case against Trump.
The prosecutor’s office has maintained that the restrictions are needed for the case’s integrity to be maintained. However, Trump has frequently opposed the existence of the gag order arguing that it is a violation of his First Amendment rights. He has also appealed the case at the New York Court of Appeals, which is the state’s highest court.
However, the court ended up dismissing Trump’s appeal and issued a brief order in which it noted that the appeal did not raise a “substantial constitutional question.
Last month, Trump had been found guilty by a 12-person jury in Manhattan on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the hush money case. Trump is accused of having made the payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election in an attempt to influence the election results by keeping her quiet about their alleged affair. He is now the first U.S. president in history to have been convicted on criminal charges.
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