Trump loses latest attempt to block his fraud trial gag order
The IndependentSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An appeals court judge has rejected Donald Trump’s request for a fast-tracked appeal of his gag order in his New York fraud trial, days before he is scheduled to return to the witness stand before his attorneys bring their case to a close. Last week, another appeals court allowed the gag order to stand after court filings revealed the wave of abusive messages and credible death threats to the judge overseeing the trial and members of his staff. On the trial’s second day, Mr Trump spread false claims about Judge Arthur Engoron’s principal law clerk on his Truth Social, prompting the judge to order Mr Trump to delete the “untrue” and “disparaging” statements before issuing a gag order that blocks all parties in the trial from attacking the court’s staff. Last week, after court filings outlined the wave of credible death threats and abusive messages that followed Mr Trump’s attack, the appeals court allowed the gag orders to stand.