If Judge Aileen Cannon were to grant the prosecutors’ request for a gag order, it would be the third that Donald Trump has been subject to during his criminal proceedings.
In his New York hush money criminal trial, Trump was placed under a gag order by Judge Juan Merchan that barred the former president from discussing witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, and relatives of the district attorney. Trump repeatedly reposted content that directly attacked Michael Cohen and others involved in the trial. He also publicly criticized the jury.
Over the course of the trial, Merchan found Trump in contempt for 10 of these violations, resulting in a fine of $10,000. This gag order is still in effect.
Trump argued that the gag order was a violation of his First Amendment right to free speech – an argument that legal experts said had no merit as they are commonly used in criminal prosecutions to protect the integrity of the proceedings.
Trump is also under a gag order in his federal election interference case. Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed a narrow order barring Trump from making comments about prosecutors, court staff, and potential witnesses after a series of comments Trump posted on social media.
