On Thursday, an appeals court ruled that the gag order implemented before the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump in New York will stay in place until his sentencing in September.
President Trump has been continuously disputing the order that prohibits him from making public comments about the prosecutors and court staff involved in his case, as well as their families. Although the order initially restricted him from talking about witnesses and jurors, those limitations were lifted shortly after his felony conviction on May 30th.
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, and Justice Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing the case, have been subjected to criticism by Trump. He has been openly expressing his opinions on them without any restrictions.
After being convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by a unanimous jury, the Republican presidential nominee issued a new challenge to the gag order. His legal team contended that the gag order should have been lifted after the trial concluded.
The state’s second highest court, the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department in New York, held a different opinion.
The appellate panel wrote that Trump’s argument that the conclusion of the trial justifies termination of the remaining Restraining Order provision is not valid.
According to the appellate court, it was concluded that the gag order would be maintained until Trump receives his sentence.
According to their statement, the fair delivery of justice involves the sentencing process, which they consider a crucial stage of the criminal proceeding.
In a statement to CBS News, a representative from Trump’s campaign referred to the issued gag order as “blatantly un-American.”
According to Steven Cheung, the spokesperson, President Trump is persistently disputing the ruling of Acting Justice Merchan, who upheld some parts of the unconstitutional gag order.
The sentencing of Trump was initially set for July 11. However, the date was postponed as he filed a motion to overturn his conviction. This was based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that was connected to presidential immunity.
According to Merchan, a decision on Trump’s motion will be made on September 6th. If the motion is rejected and the conviction remains, Trump will be sentenced on September 18th.
