


U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a limited gag order on Monday, banning Donald Trump from making public statements that target special counsel Jack Smith, the prosecutor in the January 6 case, or “any other court personnel.”
Trump’s lawyer, John Lauro accused prosecutors of seeking to “censor a political candidate in the middle of a campaign,” but Chutkan said that Trump “does not have a right to say and do exactly as he pleases.” Lauro plans to appeal the order.
“You keep talking about censorship like the defendant has unfettered First Amendment rights. He doesn’t,” Chutkan said on Monday. “We’re not talking about censorship here. We’re talking restrictions to ensure there is a fair administration of justice on this case.”
Trump’s right to free speech, she added, doesn’t give him the right to “vilify and implicitly encourage violence against public servants who are simply doing their jobs.”
Chutkan’s order comes weeks after a New York City judge placed Trump under a similar gag rule, after the president made “disparaging” comments about a court clerk on his Truth Social platform.
“Personal attacks of any member of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate, and I will not tolerate them,” Judge Arthur Engoron said earlier this month.