A New York appeals court judge has lifted a gag order that had previously restrained former president Donald Trump from commenting on court staffers involved in his civil fraud trial. The gag order, imposed last month by trial judge Arthur Engoron and accompanied by a fine of $15,000 for violation, followed after Trump criticized court staff for political bias in asocial media post. The decision to pause the gag order by Judge David Friedman of the state’s intermediate appeals court arrived amid concerns about infringements on Trump’s free speech rights.
Trump’s lawyers, responding to the aforementioned gag order, have filed a lawsuit against Engoron, accusing the trial judge of abuse of power. Following this action, an emergency hearing was set on Thursday afternoon by Judge Friedman in a state appellate courthouse, located several miles away from the ongoing trial.
The central issue at hand pertains to Trump’s claims of improper influence by law clerk Allison Greenfield in the trial. His defense team has frequently highlighted Greenfield during the trial, alleging the former Democratic judicial candidate has assumed an oversized role in the case against the ex-Republican president. Judge Engoron has defended Greenfield’s participation in the trial, responded with fining Trump for perceived violations, and further prohibited lawyers from commenting on “confidential communications” with his staff.