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Story · April 26, 2023

Judge warns Trump over Truth Social post on Carroll case

By The Daily Fuckup Newsroom · From the April 26, 2023 edition

Judge rebuke Confidence 5/5
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Correction: A previous version overstated the immediate legal consequences of Trump’s Truth Social post. Judge Kaplan warned the comments were inappropriate and could have consequences, but he did not impose a gag order or other punishment that day.

Donald Trump drew a fresh courtroom warning on April 26, 2023, after posting about the E. Jean Carroll case on Truth Social. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan told Trump’s lawyer that the message was inappropriate, following a complaint from Carroll’s side that the post crossed a line while the case was still being tried. ([keyt.com](https://keyt.com/news/2023/04/26/judge-in-e-jean-carroll-trial-warns-trump-about-social-media-comments/?utm_source=openai))

The post described the lawsuit as a “made up SCAM” and referred to DNA evidence tied to Carroll’s account. Kaplan did not issue a gag order that day, but he made clear that further public comments about the case could create additional legal exposure. ([keyt.com](https://keyt.com/news/2023/04/26/judge-in-e-jean-carroll-trial-warns-trump-about-social-media-comments/?utm_source=openai))

The warning fit a pattern the court had already seen from Trump: public attacks on Carroll and on the case while proceedings were underway. On April 26, though, the immediate issue was narrower and concrete. The judge was not handing down a broader punishment. He was reacting to one post, in one live trial, and telling Trump’s side that the message was out of bounds. ([keyt.com](https://keyt.com/news/2023/04/26/judge-in-e-jean-carroll-trial-warns-trump-about-social-media-comments/?utm_source=openai))

That matters because the Carroll trial was already moving in front of the jury, and trial judges tend to police statements that might complicate the process. Kaplan’s warning underscored that Trump could not treat social media as a parallel courtroom. If he wanted to contest the case, the place for that fight was inside the case, not in a burst of online rhetoric meant for his followers. ([keyt.com](https://keyt.com/news/2023/04/26/judge-in-e-jean-carroll-trial-warns-trump-about-social-media-comments/?utm_source=openai))

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