New York [US], June 26 : A New York judge partially lifted a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump in his hush money criminal case on Tuesday, The Hill reported.
The updated terms allow Trump to resume speaking about trial witnesses, including Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, whom the former president has strongly attacked.
Notably, the partial lifting of the order comes just days before the first 2024 presidential debate on June 27, where Trump is expected to address his conviction in the case.
But, the gag order remains in place regarding the prosecutors overseeing the case, with the exception of District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) as well as Judge Juan Merchan, though Merchan said he would lift those restrictions after the July 11 sentencing.
The partial lift will also allow Trump to address the jury that convicted him last month on 34 criminal charges, though the former president remains under a separate protective order that prohibits him from publicly disclosing their identities, as reported by The Hill.
Merchan reluctantly lifted those restrictions, saying it would be his "strong preference" to extend the jurors' protection, as Bragg's office had urged.
"However, circumstances have now changed. The trial portion of these proceedings ended when the verdict was rendered, and the jury discharged," Merchan wrote in his ruling.
Trump was convicted of falsifying business records last month in connection with a hush money payment his ex-fixer, Cohen, made to Daniels, a porn actor, ahead of the 2016 election to keep her story of an alleged affair with Trump a secret. Trump has denied the affair and vowed to appeal the guilty verdict.
He has long railed against the gag order as a 'violation' of his First Amendment rights, stressing his status as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. After the trial ended, Trump's lawyers demanded the judge lift the restrictions.
In Tuesday's order, Merchan defended his original decision to impose the order, noting that appeals courts had upheld it.
"Both orders were narrowly tailored to address the significant concerns regarding the defendant's extrajudicial speech," Merchan wrote. "The orders were overwhelmingly supported by the record."
Merchan found that Trump violated the gag order on 10 occasions in the lead-up to and during his trial, fining him USD 1,000 for each and warning that additional violations could lead to jail time, The Hill reported.
The guilty verdict by the jury made Trump the first former US president ever convicted. Bragg has so far declined to say whether his office will seek jail time for Trump.
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