The New York Appellate Court reinstates gag order in Trump civil fraud trial
A New York appellate court has reinstated a gag order prohibiting former President Donald Trump and his attorneys from making public statements about the courtroom staff in the ongoing $250 million civil fraud trial.
The gag order was originally put into place by Judge Arthur Engoron after Trump made numerous comments about a clerk, whom he believes is biased against him. The court has received hundreds of threats against Engoron and the law clerk, prompting the reinstatement of the gag order by the appeals court.
The $250 million lawsuit was brought by the New York attorney general’s office and alleges that Trump and his co-defendants committed repeated fraud in inflating assets on financial statements to get better terms on commercial real estate loans and insurance policies. Engoron has already ruled that the former president is liable for fraud and is considering how much Trump will have to pay in damages.
Despite the reinstatement of the gag order, Trump’s attorney Chris Kise expressed disappointment, calling it a “tragic day for the rule of law.”
The civil fraud trial is ongoing, and a decision will not be issued until the end of January at the earliest. The New York attorney general’s office has said that if it puts on a rebuttal case, it can be done in one day, likely happening on December 12, the day after Trump is expected to testify as the last defense witness.
It is clear that the trial is far from over, and proceedings are expected to continue into early 2024.
In a separate federal election subversion case against him, Trump is awaiting another appeals court ruling on a separate gag order brought by special counsel Jack Smith. This limited gag order restricts Trump’s ability to directly attack Smith, members of his team, court staff, or potential trial witnesses.
This story has been updated with additional developments, and CNN’s Shania Shelton contributed to this report.