Donald Trump’s attorneys on Thursday night filed an emergency request to a federal appeals court asking for a gag order to be lifted in the case in which he’s accused of attempting to subvert the result of the 2020 election. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan reimposed the gag order on Sunday, restricting Trump from making public statements about special counsel Jack Smith, potential witnesses in the case, and court employees. “No court in American history has imposed a gag order on a criminal defendant who is actively campaigning for public office—let alone the leading candidate for president of the United States,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. They argued that the “centuries-long practice was broken” by the order against Trump, which they say muzzled his “core political speech during an historic presidential campaign.” The lawyers say they will seek relief from the Supreme Court if their request is denied by the appeals court.
