After many courts placed gag orders on former President Donald Trump, a Republican legislator presented a resolution in the US House of Representatives to prevent judges from imposing such restrictions.
Introduced this week by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), the "Let Trump Speak Act" is a reaction to a gag order that New York Judge Juan Merchan placed on the former president, prohibiting him from discussing certain persons associated with the Manhattan trial.
The proposed bill stated that a judge in any State or the federal government "may not issue a gag order to the defendant in any criminal or civil proceedings except to prevent the disclosure of confidential information provided in discovery, to protect the privacy of minors, or as part of a plea agreement."
Mr. Ogles presented his plan as a way to "ensure" that the "rights of all Americans are preserved," including President Trump's, in a social media post on Wednesday. The bill has the backing of ten more Republicans.
Nothing in the proposed proposal could be "construed as limiting a judge's authority to issue orders to officers of the court," and those who were subject to a gag order would be able to "commence a civil action seeking injunctive relief."
The presentation of the proposed legislation in the House coincides with the denial of another effort by Trump to overturn Judge Merchan's gag order by the New York appeals court. His campaign officially announced on Wednesday that they had filed a notice of appeal to the highest court in New York.
Judge Merchan "properly weighed petitioner's First Amendment Rights against the court's historical commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice in criminal cases, and the right of persons related or tangentially related to the criminal proceedings from being free from threats, intimidation, harassment, and harm," according to a panel of five judges writing their opinion.
The former president's legal team said that Judge Merchan was violating their client's constitutional rights while he is running as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
First issued in March and then extended several weeks later, the gag order forbids President Trump from discussing possible witnesses, existing witnesses, court personnel, Judge Merchan's family members, or jury members. Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney who initiated the prosecution against him, and the judge are the subjects of his permitted remarks.
Introduced this week by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), the "Let Trump Speak Act" is a reaction to a gag order that New York Judge Juan Merchan placed on the former president, prohibiting him from discussing certain persons associated with the Manhattan trial.
The proposed bill stated that a judge in any State or the federal government "may not issue a gag order to the defendant in any criminal or civil proceedings except to prevent the disclosure of confidential information provided in discovery, to protect the privacy of minors, or as part of a plea agreement."
Mr. Ogles presented his plan as a way to "ensure" that the "rights of all Americans are preserved," including President Trump's, in a social media post on Wednesday. The bill has the backing of ten more Republicans.
Nothing in the proposed proposal could be "construed as limiting a judge's authority to issue orders to officers of the court," and those who were subject to a gag order would be able to "commence a civil action seeking injunctive relief."
The presentation of the proposed legislation in the House coincides with the denial of another effort by Trump to overturn Judge Merchan's gag order by the New York appeals court. His campaign officially announced on Wednesday that they had filed a notice of appeal to the highest court in New York.
Judge Merchan "properly weighed petitioner's First Amendment Rights against the court's historical commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice in criminal cases, and the right of persons related or tangentially related to the criminal proceedings from being free from threats, intimidation, harassment, and harm," according to a panel of five judges writing their opinion.
The former president's legal team said that Judge Merchan was violating their client's constitutional rights while he is running as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
First issued in March and then extended several weeks later, the gag order forbids President Trump from discussing possible witnesses, existing witnesses, court personnel, Judge Merchan's family members, or jury members. Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney who initiated the prosecution against him, and the judge are the subjects of his permitted remarks.
