LISTEN HERE:
A three-judge panel of the US Circuit Court of Appeals in the nation’s capital enjoined a directive restricting communication imposed on ex-President Donald Trump regarding his ongoing Jan. 6 legal situation.
This rapid response transpired mere hours after the legal team representing him activated an emergency appeal related to the issue. The judicial panel suspended the speech-restricting order embedded on the septuagenarian former president by District Judge Tanya Chutkan and slated oral arguments to be held on Nov. 20.
The defense advocates for Trump, led by attorneys John Lauro from Florida and Jon Sauer from Missouri, had earlier requested an expedited ruling on their appeal by Nov. 10. They portrayed the original order as a baseless and novel endeavor to suppress the communicative freedoms of a leading candidate of the 2024 GOP.
Just two days prior, DC District Judge Chutkan reestablished the gag order following a document submitted by federal prosecutors. The memo alluded to Mr. Trump’s record of deploying abrasive speech aimed at their legal team, the presiding verdict-giver, potential jury members, and possible witnesses.
At the heart of their grievance, Special Counsel Jack Smith referenced recent expressive activities on the ex-president’s social platforms. Especially concerning was a post insinuating that Trump’s former Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, had received immunity in return for forged testimonies.
Previously, Judge Chutkan had issued the original speech-limiting mandate after Trump had vociferously singled her out as an ‘extreme adherent of Obama,’ and labeled Smith as ‘unstable’ and a ‘roughneck’ via multiple social media outputs.
Furthermore, Trump’s online posts contained stronger language towards ex-Attorney General Bill Barr.
A particular concern for Smith was a case where a Texas woman phoned in a threat to Judge Chutkan’s office, pledging violence if Trump was not successful in the 2024 election bid. The threat initiator was subsequently charged and her court proceedings commenced this week.
The legal representatives for the ex-president countered in their submission document that federal prosecutors issued the communication constraints without adequate reasoning, deeming any threat allegations as conjectural in nature.
They asserted that Trump has been openly commenting about his case for months, however, the Justice Department hadn’t provided any concrete evidence of tangible or impending endangerment to the pursuit of justice.
Trump’s lawyers continued their argument stating the order ‘violates the First Amendment rights not only of President Trump but also of the legion of over hundreds of millions Americans lending him an ear,’ ‘impedes essential political discourse and campaign expression’ and ‘ultimately mutes the public critique of outstanding public figures.’
Support for Trump among Republicans for the 2024 nomination is quite strong, boasting a 45 percentage point lead over his closest competitor as per the RealClearPolitics polling average. The website also reported that Trump currently is slightly edging out President Biden in national popular vote surveys.
Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung voiced his contention in a statement, ‘The current administration decided to indict ex-President Trump amidst election season in a politically charged bid to thwart his run.
The First Amendment grants President Trump the right to voice his opposition against this unconstitutional overreach.’
Prior to this, the defense team for the former president braced a setback when their bid to reschedule the litigation revolving around his actions to dispute the 2020 electoral outcome post Election Day 2024 was not accepted.
The former president denied all accusations against him, and in the event of a conviction on all the charges, Trump could find himself facing upwards of 55 years in correctional custodianship.
