The New York judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s hush-money trial on Monday expanded a gag order that bars him from commenting on the families of people involved in the case.
Judge Juan Machan expanded his order after prosecutors sought clarification last week after President Trump posted an attack on Machan’s daughter on his Truth Social platform. The new executive order prohibits President Trump from referring to the families of courts or prosecutors.
“It is no longer merely a possibility or a reasonable possibility that a threat to the integrity of the judicial process exists,” Marchand wrote in the amended gag order. “The threat is very real. Warning alone is not enough, and relying on restraint is not enough.”
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Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court for a pretrial hearing in New York on March 25, 2024. The judge is scheduled to consider it on Monday, when the former president’s trial begins. The judge overseeing the proceedings issued a modified gag order on Monday. (AP Photo/Mary Altafer)
“The average observer, after hearing the defendant’s recent attacks, concludes that if you become even tangentially involved in these lawsuits, you should be concerned not only for yourself, but also for your loved ones. ,” he said. Added.
Marchand warned that Trump would face sanctions if he violated the order.
The move comes days after President Trump attacked Marchan’s daughter, Lauren Marchan, on social media. He said the judge’s daughter’s company, which has worked on the campaigns of President Joe Biden and other Democrats, recently posted photos on social media depicting the “express goal” of seeing the judge go to jail. He claimed to have posted it to the media.
“Judge Juan Melchan is in complete jeopardy and should be immediately removed from this Trump non-litigation,” he wrote Thursday. “His daughter Lauren is a passionate Trump hater, and even though she admits to having discussed me with her father, her father gagged me.”
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Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower on Monday, April 3, 2023, in New York. Trump is scheduled to be indicted and arraigned on Tuesday on charges stemming from hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Brian Woolston)
Prosecutors said in a letter to the judge Friday that witnesses and potential jurors would likely fear similar attacks.
“Again, all members of the public who are asked to participate in these proceedings, whether as jurors, witnesses, or otherwise, are at risk not only for their own safety, but also for safety and personal attacks. We must also be concerned about the possibilities for their loved ones,” Marchand wrote. “That reality cannot be overstated.”
Trump’s lawyers responded in a letter: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office You are misunderstanding the order.
“The court cannot ‘direct’ President Trump to do anything not required by the gag order,” the letter reads. “To ‘clarify or confirm’ the meaning of the gag order in the way the public suggests would be to expand the gag order.”
Former President Donald Trump appeared in a New York City courtroom on February 15th. (Jane Rosenberg)
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Judge Marchand will preside over an upcoming trial in which Trump is accused of paying hush money during the 2016 presidential campaign.
