Trump’s gag order in hush money case expanded to include judge’s family

A New York judge expanded former President Trump’s gag order on Monday to limit his recent barrage of attacks against the judge’s daughter. 

Justice Juan Merchan’s five-page ruling excoriated Trump over his series of Truth Social posts attacking the judge’s daughter since the former president was placed under a gag order last week. 

“This pattern of attacking family members of presiding jurists and attorneys assigned to his cases serves no legitimate purpose. It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings, that not only they, but their family members as well, are ‘fair game’ for Defendant’s vitriol,” Merchan wrote in his ruling. 

Among others, Trump’s previous gag order limited his public statements about jurors, witnesses, and “the family members of any counsel or staff member,” but it didn’t extend to family members of Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D). 

At Bragg’s request, Merchan has now expanded the order to include them, further restricting Trump’s rhetoric as his April 15 trial date approaches.