New York’s top court rejects Donald Trump’s appeal of gag order in hush money case
- Trump’s lawyers argued the gag order infringed on core political speech at the height of the presidential campaign
New York’s top court on Tuesday declined to hear Donald Trump’s gag order appeal in his hush money case, leaving the restrictions in place following his felony conviction last month.
The Court of Appeals found that the order does not raise “substantial” constitutional issues that would warrant an immediate intervention.
The decision is the latest legal setback for the Republican former president, who has repeatedly railed against a gag order that prevents him from commenting on witnesses, jurors and others who were involved in the case. But it could be short lived.
The trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, is expected to rule soon on a defence request to lift the gag order.
A Trump campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, said on Tuesday the ex-president’s legal team would “continue to fight against the unconstitutional Gag Order imposed by Justice Merchan”.
