What does it mean to be held in contempt of court?

(NEXSTAR) — Before former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial resumes Tuesday morning, a New York judge holds him in contempt of court and fines him at least $3,000 for violating the gag order. A public hearing was held regarding the prosecutor’s request. .

Mr. Trump currently faces 34 felony charges related to payments that prosecutors say the company made to his lawyer, Michael Cohen, as hush money. These payments were allegedly disguised in the records as legal fees.

In March, before the trial began, Judge Juan M. Marchan issued a gag order, prohibiting the former president from publicly commenting on witnesses, prosecutors, court officials, or jurors.A few days later, the judge Expanded President Trump’s gag order.

Prosecutors now claim Trump violated the gag order with 10 different posts from his social media accounts and website. The post mentioned Cohen, Stormy Daniels (who Cohen paid on Trump’s behalf to keep quiet about the affair), and reporters.

Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, said at Tuesday’s hearing that those working with Trump select articles that Trump’s supporters would want to see and repost them on Truth Social under Trump’s name. He said he would post it.

Blanche had argued that reposting news articles, like some of the posts in question, did not violate the gag order. When Marchand asked for a citation of a lawsuit to support that assumption, Blanche said he didn’t have any, but “that’s common sense.”

Prosecutors asked for a $3,000 fine ($1,000 for each of the three alleged violations) and for Trump to be held in contempt of court.

But what does it mean to be despised?

Generally speaking, contempt of court means that you have violated a court order. Cornell Law Schoolor have done anything that “obstructs or obstructs the orderly administration of justice.”

Professor Cornell said that in New York state, civil contempt is used to “protect a party’s right to a lawsuit,” whereas “criminal contempt is used to protect the justice system, but generally it is not used to protect a party’s right to a lawsuit.” “It is not intended to acknowledge violations of public justice.”

Based on criminal contempt in the first degree. new york state lawis treated as . Class E Felonywhich can lead to up to four years in prison, but depending on the judge’s decision it could be much shorter.

Marchand said Tuesday he would not make an immediate decision, so it is too early to tell what consequences, if any, Trump will face regarding the prosecutors’ allegations. But he suggested that Trump should have asked for clarity, rather than begging for forgiveness, when considering social posts and reposts that could have crossed the line.

Later, during a break in the trial, President Trump criticized Marchand for the gag order in a social media post.

“Very contradictory, to say the least, Judge Juan Melchian has stripped me of my constitutional right to free speech,” President Trump wrote on his social media site during a brief court break. is. “Everyone is allowed to talk and lie about me, but I’m not allowed to defend myself. This is a kangaroo court.”

Last year, Trump fined $15,000 He is accused of twice violating a gag order imposed after making defamatory social media posts about the judge’s chief law clerk in a New York civil fraud trial. In 2022, Trump will be indicted for contempt. $110,000 fine For slow response to subpoenas in investigation that led to civil fraud lawsuit.

Court proceedings are scheduled to resume Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.