In a late Monday ruling, the judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, Judge Juan Merchan, extended a recently imposed gag order to encompass family members of the court and the Manhattan district attorney’s family. This decision follows Trump’s recent remarks against Judge Merchan’s daughter.
Merchan warned that Trump’s rhetoric could potentially instill fear in those indirectly involved in the proceedings, threatening their loved ones and undermining the fair administration of justice. He stated, “The threat to the integrity of the judicial proceedings is very real. Admonitions are not enough, nor is reliance on self-restraint.”
Earlier on Monday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office had requested the judge to broaden the gag order to prevent the former president from attacking family members of those involved in the case. Last week, after Merchan issued a gag order prohibiting Trump from making statements about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, or their family members, Trump initiated a series of posts on his social media platform.
Trump has defended his right to free speech and campaign speech, criticizing the expanded gag order and accusing Merchan of corruption. He argued that the proceedings against him amounted to “election interference.”
Prosecutors countered, “Defendant knows what he is doing, and everyone else does too. And we all know exactly what defendant intends because he has said for decades that it is part of his life philosophy to go after his perceived opponents ‘as viciously and as violently’ as he can.”
Trump’s legal team has opposed any expansion of the original gag order, suggesting they might appeal the order. They argued that the gag order, as initially written, did not apply to family members of the judge or Bragg, and that Trump’s public criticisms were not intended to materially interfere with the proceedings.
In his ruling, Merchan dismissed Trump’s attorneys’ arguments as “farcical,” stating, “The arguments counsel makes are at best strained and at worst baseless misrepresentations which are uncorroborated and rely upon innuendo and exaggeration.”
Trump’s lawyers have also requested Merchan to allow them to file a recusal motion to remove the judge from the case, citing “changed circumstances and newly discovered evidence.” Merchan had previously denied a similar recusal motion from Trump last year.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.