Donald Trump gets hit with another big blow in NY fraud trial gag order

New York, New York - A higher court has rejected Donald Trump and his legal team's request to throw out a gag order placed on the case by the judge overseeing his New York fraud trial.

On Thursday, a New York state appeals court rejected a request from Donald Trump and his legal team to throw out a gag order placed in his fraud trial.
On Thursday, a New York state appeals court rejected a request from Donald Trump and his legal team to throw out a gag order placed in his fraud trial.  © Nicholas Kamm / AFP

Another blow for Trump as to what he can and can't say?

The New York state appeals court announced the decision on Thursday and rejected Trump's argument that the gag order violates his First Amendment right to free speech, according to The Daily Beast.

"Here, the gravity of potential harm is small, given that the Gag Order is narrow, limited to prohibiting solely statements regarding the court's staff," the court wrote in their decision.

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Trump is currently being sued by the state for $250 million in damages for allegedly inflating his business' worth for financial gain.

Back in October, Justice Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the ongoing case, hit Trump with the gag order after the former president made "disparaging" remarks on social media about one of Engoron's court staff.

Engoron ended up fining Trump twice for a total of $15,000 for repeatedly violating the order.

Last month, Trump and his legal team argued against and filed a motion to appeal the order, putting it in limbo – on again then off – as a higher court decided on the matter.

Engoron has already ruled that Trump committed fraud, and is expected to decide on the amount in damages he owes next month.

Cover photo: Nicholas Kamm / AFP

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