In a significant legal development, former US President Donald Trump has been fined $5,000 by a New York judge for violating a partial gag order. The judge presiding over Trump’s civil fraud trial, Arthur Engoron, imposed the fine and warned of potential jail time for any future breaches of the order.
Judge Engoron directed Trump to pay the fine to the New York Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection within the next 10 days. Emphasizing the seriousness of the situation, the judge made it clear that any future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, would result in much harsher consequences. These consequences could include more substantial financial penalties, holding Trump in contempt of court, and the possibility of imprisonment under New York Judiciary Law.
The origin of this legal dispute traces back to October 3 when Judge Engoron issued a limited gag order against the former president. This action followed an incident where Trump insulted the judge’s principal law clerk in a social media post on his Truth Social platform. Although the offending post was promptly removed from Truth Social, the judge expressed his dissatisfaction in a recent filing. He revealed that the post remained on a Trump 2024 campaign website for 17 days until the court intervened on Thursday, instructing its removal.
The imposition of this fine and the stark warning of potential jail time marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battles involving the former president. The case has garnered substantial public attention, and this latest development further adds to the intrigue surrounding the proceedings.