During Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York, the presiding judge, Arthur Engoron, imposed a $5,000 fine on the former US president on Friday for failing to adhere to a partial gag order. Furthermore, the judge issued a warning of potential jail time for any future violations.
Judge Arthur Engoron directed the 77-year-old Trump to pay the fine to the New York Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection within the next 10 days.
Engoron stated in a court filing, “Let there be no mistake: any future violations, whether deliberate or inadvertent, will result in more severe penalties for the violator.” These penalties could encompass more substantial financial fines, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and potentially imprisoning him under New York Judiciary Law.
Engoron initially imposed a limited gag order on Trump on October 3, following Trump’s derogatory remarks about the judge’s principal law clerk on his Truth Social platform. Although the offending post was removed from Truth Social on the same day, the judge noted in his filing on Friday that it remained on a Trump 2024 campaign website for 17 days until the court requested its removal on Thursday.
The judge acknowledged that Trump’s lawyers claimed the violation of the gag order was unintentional but still determined that a violation had occurred. In the current highly charged environment, the judge expressed concerns that inflammatory false statements could lead to serious physical harm and more.
Trump, a leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and his two eldest sons are facing accusations in the New York case related to inflating the value of Trump Organization’s real estate assets to secure more favorable bank loans and insurance terms.
Trump has previously targeted the judge on multiple occasions, labeling him a “Trump-hating judge.” However, Judge Engoron’s verbal gag order only prohibited attacks on his court staff.
In another development, the federal judge who is set to oversee Trump’s trial for alleged involvement in the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election also imposed a partial gag order on the former president. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered Trump not to publicly attack prosecutors, court staff, or potential witnesses ahead of the scheduled trial in Washington in March 2024.
On Friday, Judge Chutkan temporarily lifted her narrow gag order, allowing Trump’s legal team to present arguments against imposing restrictions on the former president’s comments as his case moves closer to trial.