“Justice Merchan properly determined that petitioner’s public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses in this case,” the First Judicial Department panel ruled May 14.
Trump filed a notice of appeal to the high court the following day.
Trump’s appeal of an earlier gag order in his separate civil fraud case— forbidding discussion of the judge’s clerk—met a similar fate at the Court of Appeals.
Future Implications
Since the criminal trial ended, Trump has argued that the bases for the gag order are now moot, but prosecutors have asked the judge not to lift the restrictions before the sentencing hearing to “protect the integrity” of the case. Justice Merchan has yet to clarify in a ruling if the order is still in effect.
