The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump’s lawyers asked a New York judge on June 4, 2024, to lift the gag order that limited what he could say publicly about people tied to his hush-money case. The request came days after the jury convicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, and before sentencing was set for July 11. The defense said the case had moved past the trial stage and argued Trump should no longer be barred from speaking about the matter as he campaigned for president.

The gag order was first imposed in March, when Judge Juan Merchan said Trump’s prior public statements created a risk to the orderly administration of the case. The order covered statements about witnesses, jurors, court staff, and some family members of people working on the case. It was later expanded after Trump attacked the judge’s daughter and others connected to the proceedings. The written order said the court had a duty to prevent outside influences from disrupting the fairness of the trial.

In their June 4 letter, Trump’s lawyers said the restrictions were no longer needed now that the jury had returned a verdict. They also argued that Trump should be able to answer criticism from President Joe Biden, Michael Cohen, and Stormy Daniels, and that he needed more latitude as he prepared for the June 27 presidential debate. The letter framed the gag order as an improper restraint on political speech at a time when Trump was trying to campaign under a criminal conviction.

Manhattan prosecutors pushed back, saying the order should stay in place at least until sentencing. Their response said Trump had continued to target people associated with the case and argued the court still had an interest in protecting jurors, witnesses, and staff from intimidation or retaliation. The dispute now sits on top of a broader fight over how much leeway a convicted defendant can get to talk like a candidate while still bound by court rules.

The request is not unusual as a post-trial legal move. What makes it politically charged is the record that led to the gag order in the first place: repeated attacks on people connected to the case, followed by a judge’s effort to keep those attacks from spilling further into the proceedings. Even after the verdict, the same tension remains. Trump’s lawyers want the rules loosened. Prosecutors say the court is still allowed to keep them in place until the case is fully finished.