Federal Judge Issues Limited Gag Order Against Donald Trump in the 2020 Election Meddling Case

In the run-up to his trial, which centers on his attempts to reverse the 2020 election, former US President Donald Trump has been given a limited gag order by a judge in the United States. The former president and his lawyers cannot make any inflammatory remarks against special counsel Jack Smith, his team, the court, or any potential witnesses. On Tuesday, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan made it clear that she would not stand for the former president's "pretrial smear campaign" against the defendants.

After a long hearing in federal court in Washington D.C., the ruling came on a request by Smith and his team to restrict Trump's ability to publicly discuss the Justice Department's case against him. The judge said, "This is not about whether I like the language Mr. Trump uses. This is about language that presents a danger to the administration of justice." She went on to say that his tendency to attack others, such as the special counsel's wife and a court clerk in his New York civil fraud case, "deeply disturbed" her.

As she issued the order, she further added, "No other criminal defendant would be allowed to do so, and I’m not going to allow it in this case." Trump's spokesperson called the decision "an absolute abomination" in a statement. The spokesperson added, "President Trump will continue to fight for our Constitution, the American people's right to support him, and to keep our country free of the chains of weaponized and targeted law enforcement." The ex-president has been accused on four counts by a federal grand jury, and he has pleaded not guilty. The allegations stem from his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The trial is scheduled to begin in March 2024, just before the primaries for president get underway. 

In a post in August, Trump said that Smith is heading to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to try to strip the former president of his First Amendment rights, and Trump asked that Chutkan disqualify herself. He wrote, "Deranged Jack Smith is going before his number one draft pick, the Judge of his 'dreams' (WHO MUST BE RECUSED!), in an attempt to take away my FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS — This, despite the fact that he, the DOJ, and his many Thug prosecutors, are illegally leaking, everything and anything, to the Fake News Media!!!" Trump reiterated his demand for Chutkan's recusal, claiming he was doing so "on very powerful grounds." He wrote on Truth Social, "There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge “assigned” to the ridiculous freedom of speech/Fair elections case. Everybody knows this, and so does she! We Will be immediately asking for recusal of this judge on very powerful grounds, and likewise for a venue change, out of D.C."