A judge has partially lifted Donald Trump’s gag order in a hush-money case in New York, where he was convicted last month of falsifying business records.
Judge Juan Merchan wrote in Tuesday’s ruling that Trump can now make public comments about witnesses in the case and speak generally about jurors in his trial.
The former president remains barred from speaking publicly about court staff, prosecutors and their families.
Judge Mochan said the jurors’ identities would also be protected due to the high-profile nature of the trial.
Trump has frequently spoken out against the gag order, which he claims is unconstitutional.
In a statement on Tuesday, his spokesman called Judge Melchan’s decision “yet another unlawful decision by a highly conflicted judge.”
Judge Merchant first issued a gag order against Trump in late March, but expanded it a week later after Trump attacked the judge’s daughter on social media.
Trump was ultimately fined thousands of dollars and threatened with jail time for violating the order during his trial.
After a New York jury convicted Trump in May, his legal team asked that the blanket gag order be lifted. He was convicted of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to an adult film star before the 2016 election.
Prosecutors are not opposed to lifting the part of the gag order that prevents Trump from commenting on witnesses.
The former president has made multiple posts on social media attacking the prosecution’s star witness, his former lawyer Michael Cohen.
Trump argued that he was only responding to attacks by Cohen, who insulted him on social media.
As for the jurors, Judge Merchant said in his ruling that “this court is strongly inclined” to continue to prohibit Trump from speaking on jury issues.
“[T]There is ample evidence here to justify the jurors’ continued concern,” he wrote.
But he said the court’s consistency required that Trump be allowed to comment without identifying the jurors.
During the trial, Trump was fined for comments criticizing the 12-member panel, claiming they were “95 percent” Democrats.
Judge McCann said the former president and Republican presidential candidate remains prohibited from speaking about prosecutors, court staff and their families because even after a verdict is reached, their work is still not done.
“Until a sentence is imposed, all individuals … must continue to perform their lawful duties and be free from threats, intimidation, harassment and harm,” he wrote.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. He was the first former president to be convicted.
