Trump Remains Gagged As Appeal Of Order Crashes And Burns

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New York’s highest court rejected Donald Trump’s appeal to have his gag order lifted before he is sentenced for 34 felony convictions.

Via Politico:

New York’s highest court on Tuesday dismissed Donald Trump’s appeal of the gag order imposed in his Manhattan criminal trial, dealing a setback to the former president’s efforts to strip the restrictions in the wake of his conviction.

In a decision list, the Court of Appeals wrote that Trump’s appeal was dismissed because “no substantial constitutional question is directly involved.”

If only the Supreme Court would have acted as quickly on Trump’s bogus immunity claim. The nation is still awaiting the likely decision that ex-presidents do not have unlimited immunity to evade criminal prosecution for the rest of their lives.

The dismissal of Trump’s gag order appeal is important because trashing the case was intended to be a key part of his presidential campaign. The ruling means that Donald Trump will have to appear at a presidential debate in nine days while still under the restrictions of a gag order. Trump will not be able to use the debate stage to attack the witnesses, jurors, or members of the court.

New polling has revealed that the felony conviction is a major political liability for Trump with Independent voters. The ex-president will almost certainly still lie about the case and his conviction at the debate, but he will not be able to slander and smear people for doing their jobs and civic duties at the presidential debate.

There is no constitutional question. Trump’s speech was not limited by the gag order. Being a presidential candidate does not entitle a person to unlimited speech rights while they are a criminal defendant.

Trump’s plan to use politics to escape his legal issues is not working—at least in New York. Trump’s political needs are not being prioritized over the law.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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