New York, June 26:
A judge in the hush money criminal case against former president Donald Trump partially lifted a gag order on Tuesday. Trump can now bring up the trial witnesses, such as Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, whom he has fiercely criticised, according to the revised rules.
Notably, Trump is scheduled to address his conviction in the case during the first 2024 presidential debate on June 27, only days before the partial removal of the restriction.
However, the gag order is still in effect with respect to the prosecutors in charge of the case, with the exception of Judge Juan Merchan and District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), the latter of whom has stated that he will remove the limitations following the sentencing on July 11.
According to The Hill, under a separate protective order, Trump is prohibited from publicly divulging the identity of the jurors who convicted him last month on 34 criminal charges. However, with the partial relief, he will be able to address them.
As Bragg's office had requested, Merchan grudgingly eased the limits, stating that it would be his "strong preference" to give the jurors more safety. "But things have changed now. In his order, Merchan stated that the trial phase of the proceedings came to a close with the verdict and the discharge of the jury.
Cohen, Trump's former fixer, paid porn actress Stormy Daniels hush money before the 2016 election so that she would not speak publicly about her alleged romance with him. Last month, Trump was found guilty of falsifying company documents in relation to this payment. Trump will appeal the guilty conviction and has denied the affair.
His long-standing outcry against the gag order, which he views as a "violation" of his First Amendment rights, highlights his position as the likely Republican candidate for president. The defence team representing Trump asked the judge to remove the gag order after the trial concluded. Noting that the injunction had been upheld by appeals courts, Merchan defended his initial judgement to impose it in Tuesday's order.
"Both orders were narrowly tailored to address the significant concerns regarding the defendant's extrajudicial speech," according to Merchan. "The orders were overwhelmingly supported by the record."
Trump was fined $1,000 per breach by Merchan for violating the gag order ten times before and during his trial, with further infractions carrying the possibility of jail time, according to The Hill.
Trump became the first former president to be convicted after the jury found him guilty. It is unclear whether Bragg's office will pursue jail time for Trump at this time.
