Trump appeals gag order in NY civil fraud case to state's highest court

[December 16, 2023]  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Donald Trump on Friday appealed a gag order restricting the former U.S. president from publicly talking about court staff in his New York civil fraud trial to the state's highest court. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures while leaving the courtroom during a break, as he attends the Trump Organization civil fraud trial, in New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., December 7, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

The judge overseeing the case, Justice Arthur Engoron, issued the gag order on Oct. 3 after Trump shared on social media a photo of the judge's law clerk posing with U.S. Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and falsely called her Schumer's girlfriend."

The post left the court "inundated" with hundreds of threats made by Trump supporters, Engoron said.

Trump unsuccessfully appealed the order to a mid-level appeals court, arguing it violated his right to free speech. The mid-level court, known as the Appellate Division, on Thursday kept the order in place.

On Friday, Trump's lawyers said in a court filing they were appealing that decision to the Albany-based Court of Appeals, which decides questions of law in the state.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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