Ruling on appeal of Chutkan's gag order

Trump may now assail the special counsel who brought the federal criminal case against him over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, in addition to being free to criticize the judge, the justice department, the Biden administration and the case as politically motivated.

The former president remains barred, however, from attacking potential trial witnesses, court staff or the special counsel’s staff, as well as the family members of any court staff or the special counsel’s staff.

That was the ruling handed down on Friday by the US court of appeals for the DC circuit, which found that Trump’s inflammatory statements posed a threat to the fair administration of justice.

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In particular, the judges concluded that the original gag order was too broad in preventing Trump from personally attacking the special counsel Jack Smith. They also narrowed the order to say Trump can attack people involved in the post-2020 election matters as long as he does not target their trial testimony.

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“Mr Trump is a former president and current candidate for the presidency,” the appeals court wrote in a 68-page opinion. “But Mr Trump is also an indicted criminal defendant, and he must stand trial in a courtroom under the same procedures that govern all other criminal defendants.”

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They wrote that they found untenable Trump’s position that there could only be a gag order after a Trump statement caused harm or chilled a witness, not least because the point of a protective order was to ensure no such harm would occur in the first place.

[...]

Trump is expected to appeal the ruling to the US supreme court.

  Guardian

My guess is the Supreme Court will refuse to take up the matter, leaving the appeals court ruling in place.  But this SCOTUS is a disgrace to justice and the Constitution, so who knows?

Get on that, Jack.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 04:39 pm:

UPDATE 12/09/2023:

But that, my friends, like Smith's expectations, is simple spin that any client's attorney does.

UPDATE 12/10/2023:

What a surprise.