Former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on, as the trial of himself, his adult sons, the Trump Organization and others in a civil fraud case brought by state Attorney General Letitia James continues, in New York City, U.S., October 3, 2023.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
A New York appeals court Thursday reinstated a gag order on Donald Trump in the former president’s $250 million civil business fraud trial.
The order bars Trump from making public statements about the staff of Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the ongoing trial.
Engoron had imposed that order on Trump, and later extended it to his attorneys, after they repeatedly targeted the judge’s principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield.
In its ruling Thursday, a four-judge appellate panel lifted a temporary suspension of the gag orders, which were put in place while Trump appealed the speech restrictions.
The one-line ruling came three days after Trump’s attorneys urged the appeals court not to reimpose the gag orders, arguing that they unconstitutionally blocked Trump from accusing Engoron and Greenfield of political bias.
Engoron has found Trump in violation of the gag order twice, imposing a total of $15,000 in fines on the former president since the fraud trial began in early October.
The narrow order does not block Trump from attacking Engoron or New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case charging him and his co-defendants of falsely inflating Trump’s assets for financial gain.
Trump has repeatedly attacked both of them, casting the judge as a Trump “hater” and decrying the case as a “witch hunt.”
On Wednesday, Trump sent at least six separate Truth Social posts targeting Engoron’s wife, accusing her of criticizing Trump and commenting on the trial on X, formerly Twitter. Engoron’s wife told Newsweek earlier this month that she does not have an account on X and has not posted any anti-Trump messages.
Engoron has already ruled that Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organization and its top executives were liable for fraudulently misstating the values of real estate properties and other assets. The trial will determine penalties and resolve other claims of wrongdoing in James’ suit.
In addition to seeking around $250 million in damages, James wants to permanently bar Trump Sr., Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from running a New York business.
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