(DailyVantage.com) – Former president Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Judge Juan Merchan over the latter’s gag order connected to the former commander-in-chief’s upcoming New York trial over his alleged “hush money” payments to adult actress Stormy Daniels.
Judge Merchan’s order bars the former chief executive from launching verbal or written tirades against members of the court – with the exception of Judge Merchan himself and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg – and their families, witnesses, and members of the jury.
The documents pertaining to the lawsuit have been placed under seal, but the way the complaint is reportedly structured makes it essentially an appeal of the gag order. Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly claimed that any order barring the former president from speaking out regarding his ongoing lawsuits is a violation of his First Amendment rights. However, legal experts say that the suit over the gag order is just another tactic of Trump’s legal team to delay their client’s hush money trial. Team Trump has repeatedly asked the court to delay proceedings but has been rebuffed every time.
Merchan had actually put off issuing a gag order against the former president but relented after the office of DA Bragg requested it. In his decision, Merchan cited Trump’s “uncontested record” of attacking people involved in the lawsuits against him.
The New York magistrate further expanded the order to cover attacks against family members after Trump put up posts regarding Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, who is an executive at a digital agency whose clients have included both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as other prominent Democrats. Trump has also used the issue of Loren’s former clients – as well as claiming that she has a connection to Democratic California Representative Adam Schiff – as a reason for moving that Judge Merchan recuse himself from the case.
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