A federal appeal court put on hold a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump in the Jan. 6 riot case on Wednesday evening.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit stayed the order, which prevented Trump and his lawyers from discussing the matter publicly. The court ruled that the district court had acted prematurely in March when it imposed the gag order on him.
The stay was not a ruling on the merits of the case, only a decision to delay the gag order pending further review. The case will now go before the appeals court, which will decide whether the gag order is warranted.
The gag order had been requested by the prosecutors, who argued that Trump was undermining the criminal justice system by making public statements about the case. The prosecutors said that Trump’s “words have consequences” and could potentially taint the jury pool.
The order, if eventually upheld, would have prevented Trump and his lawyers from commenting on the merits of the case, or discussing any of the allegations against him.
The former President’s attorneys had argued that the gag order violated his First Amendment rights, and the appeals court agreed that there was a “substantial question” as to whether the district court had gone too far in restricting Trump’s speech.
The appeals court noted that the gag order was “broad,” and could have potentially chilled speech about the incident among everyone involved in the case. The court said that the order could have had a “severely deleterious” effect on Trump’s right to speak his mind, and to engage in political speech.
The appeals court’s decision will likely be seen as a win for Trump, who has long argued that he was the victim of political persecution. While the gag order has been stayed, it remains to be seen whether the appeals court will eventually uphold it.
A federal appeal court put on hold a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump in the Jan. 6 riot case on Wednesday evening.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit stayed the order, which prevented Trump and his lawyers from discussing the matter publicly. The court ruled that the district court had acted prematurely in March when it imposed the gag order on him.
The stay was not a ruling on the merits of the case, only a decision to delay the gag order pending further review. The case will now go before the appeals court, which will decide whether the gag order is warranted.
The gag order had been requested by the prosecutors, who argued that Trump was undermining the criminal justice system by making public statements about the case. The prosecutors said that Trump’s “words have consequences” and could potentially taint the jury pool.
The order, if eventually upheld, would have prevented Trump and his lawyers from commenting on the merits of the case, or discussing any of the allegations against him.
The former President’s attorneys had argued that the gag order violated his First Amendment rights, and the appeals court agreed that there was a “substantial question” as to whether the district court had gone too far in restricting Trump’s speech.
The appeals court noted that the gag order was “broad,” and could have potentially chilled speech about the incident among everyone involved in the case. The court said that the order could have had a “severely deleterious” effect on Trump’s right to speak his mind, and to engage in political speech.
The appeals court’s decision will likely be seen as a win for Trump, who has long argued that he was the victim of political persecution. While the gag order has been stayed, it remains to be seen whether the appeals court will eventually uphold it.
