Donald Trump has again attempted to lift a news blackout in his hush money trial in New York.
A panel of appeals judges on Thursday rejected the former president’s argument that the news blackout should be lifted entirely following his conviction. The five judges on the state’s middle-level appeals court sided with New York Judge Juan Merchan, who extended protections for prosecutors and court personnel through Trump’s conviction.
A news blackout designed to curb Trump’s public attacks – which have resulted in threats and harassment against witnesses, judges and prosecutors – should remain in effect in part to allow Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and court staff to “discharge their lawful duties without threats, intimidation, harassment and harm” until the verdict, the judges wrote.
According to the appeals court judges, prosecutors successfully argued that harassing messages “continued to pose a substantial and imminent threat” even after the jury found him guilty on 34 counts in May.
“We have reviewed plaintiff’s remaining arguments and concluded that they lack merit,” they wrote.
The former president’s sentencing is scheduled for September 18. His lawyers had previously pushed for a delay so they could bolster their arguments for an overturning the conviction, based on a landmark Supreme Court ruling granting the president “immunity” from criminal prosecution for “official” acts while in office.
Manhattan prosecutors asked Judge Merchan to reject that argument.
Trump has repeatedly used his Truth Social account to rant against witnesses, judges and prosecutors, resulting in harassing and threatening messages to lawyers, court staff and their families, according to law enforcement filings in several cases against him.
According to court documents, New York Police Department investigators have recorded dozens of “criminal threats” against the district attorney, his family and his associates since Trump was indicted, including 56 made in April, May and June of this year.
On May 30, a jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with an election interference scheme that sought to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels.
Last month, after the verdict was reached and the jury was discharged, and without opposition from Manhattan prosecutors, Judge Merchan agreed to lift part of the news gag order designed to protect witnesses in the trial such as Daniels and Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.
The judge also agreed to lift jury protections, although he said he was “strongly in favor” of keeping them.
In the hush money case, Trump was fined $10,000 for ten statements that violated the news blackout. Judge Merchan threatened him with prison if he continued to violate the conditions.
“I understand the significance of such a decision,” Merchan told Trump from the courtroom in May.
“But at the end of the day, I have a job to do, and part of that job is to protect the dignity of the justice system,” he said. “Your continued violations … threaten to undermine the administration of justice and represent a direct attack on the rule of law.”
