(NationRise.com) – In a significant development, Judge Juan Merchan, known for his left-leaning views, has once again threatened former President Donald Trump with jail time. This comes as the judge accuses Trump of repeatedly violating the court’s rules.
It marks the tenth occasion that Merchan, who was appointed to his post by former Democrat New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has held Trump in criminal contempt for allegedly violating gag orders. Those orders prohibit him from discussing jurors, witnesses, some members of the prosecution’s team, and the potential political bias of Merchan’s family. Joshua Steinglass, a prosecutor in the case, specifically noted an order barring Trump from extrajudicial speech that supposedly released the names of witnesses that were meant to be kept private.
Trump and his legal team have repeatedly challenged the gag order, claiming that it violates his First Amendment rights. He also said that it prevents him from defending himself from people who publicly attack him. Even the ACLU, a far-left organization that has attacked Trump numerous times, filed a lawsuit against the order on the grounds that it violates free speech.
However, Steinglass claims that his office may now only release witness names to defense lawyers one day in advance to avoid having them publicized. They have declined to publicize a complete list. Trump claims that puts his legal team at an unfair disadvantage. Steinglass denies those claims.
Merchan claimed that incarcerating Trump is the last thing he wants to do, but he is willing to do it if he deems it necessary. The court hinted that he may have ignored the gag order again, as he left court on May 6th, saying that the First Amendment is more important than incarceration. Trump said that going to jail for the Constitution is a sacrifice that he is willing to make.
The ongoing case accuses Trump of forging business records to hide payments sent to Michael Cohen for allegedly paying off an adult entertainment star ahead of the 2016 elections. The $130,000 payment was allegedly sent to cover an affair between the two, according to prosecutors.
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