BREAKING: New York Appeals Court Issues New Ruling On Trump's Gag Order

On Tuesday, the New York Court of Appeals rejected presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump's attempt to end the gag order placed on him by Judge Juan Merchan after Trump's legal team argued that the gag order was no longer justified after he was convicted of business fraud last month. Despite these arguments, the appeals court ruled that "no substantial constitutional question" was involved in the case.

As previously reported by the DC Enquirer, Bragg's office argued that the gag order should remain in place through Trump's sentencing and post-trial hearings. The prosecution claimed that the gag order was essential to "avoid threats to the fairness of the trial itself" and "to prevent actual harm to the integrity of the proceedings."

The district attorney's office added that the gag order would "protect the orderly administration of this court," and the prosecution argued that the "court has an obligation to protect the integrity of these proceedings and the fair administration of justice at least through the sentencing hearing and the resolution of any post-trial motions."

The gag order imposed on Trump prevents him from commenting on court staff, witnesses, and prosecutors involved in the hush money case. In April, Trump was held in contempt for violating the order, leading the judge to fine him $1,000 per violation, totaling $9,000 for the various Truth Social posts that were deemed to have violated the court order.

In response to the court's decision, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said they would continue fighting the gag order in the courts. "President Trump and his legal team will continue to fight against the unconstitutional Gag Order imposed by Justice Merchan," he said. "The Gag Order wrongfully silences the leading candidate for President of the United States, President Trump, at the height of his campaign. The Gag Order applies only to President Trump and not to any of his political opponents, critics, or even Crooked Joe Biden. The Election Interfering Gag Order violates the First Amendment rights of President Trump and all American voters, who have a fundamental right to hear his message."

Trump's sentencing is set to take place on July 11, just days before he is set to be nominated at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The gag order against Trump has limited his ability to respond to the various attacks against him, particularly from his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. The decision not to lift the court order is a significant blow to the 45th president, who will likely appeal the decision before his sentencing hearing.

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