Appeals court rejects Trump's bid to reconsider gag order in the election interference case
Washington’s federal appeals court has rejected Donald Trump’s request to reconsider a gag order restricting the former president’s speech in the case charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 election
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington's federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump's request to reconsider a gag order restricting the former president’s speech in the case charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
Lawyers for the Republican presidential primary front-runner had asked the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to examine the gag order after a three-judge panel upheld but narrowed the restrictions on his speech. Trump can now appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The gag order was imposed by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in October in response to concerns from special counsel Jack Smith’s team that Trump’s pattern of incendiary comments could taint the proceedings, intimidate witnesses and influence jurors.
The three judge panel that upheld the gag order last month modified it in important ways, freeing Trump to publicly criticize Smith. The special counsel has been a frequent target of Trump’s ire since being appointed by the Justice Department in November 2022 to lead investigations into the former president.
