New York’s highest court has rejected Donald Trump’s appeal to have his gag order lifted before he is sentenced on 34 felonies.
Through politics:
New York’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump’s appeal of a gag order imposed in his Manhattan criminal trial, dealing a setback to the former president’s efforts to have the order lifted following his conviction.
The appeals court wrote in a list of decisions that Trump’s appeal was dismissed because it “does not directly involve a substantive constitutional issue.”
It would be nice if the Supreme Court acted quickly on Trump’s false immunity claims. The nation is still awaiting a possible decision that the former president does not have unlimited immunity from criminal prosecution for the rest of his life.
Denying Trump’s appeal of the gag order is important because repealing the case would have been a key part of his presidential campaign. The ruling means Donald Trump must appear at a presidential debate within nine days while still being restricted by a gag order. Trump will not be able to use the argument stage to attack witnesses, jurors or court members.
New polling shows felony convictions are Trump’s main political liability to independent voters. The former president will almost certainly still lie about cases and convictions in debates, but he will not be able to slander and denigrate people in presidential debates for doing their jobs and their civic duties.
There is no constitutional issue. Trump’s speeches are not subject to the gag order. Being a presidential candidate does not entitle a person to unlimited speech rights as a criminal defendant.
Trump’s plan to use politics to evade legal troubles didn’t work — at least in New York. Trump’s political needs did not take precedence over the law.
