Former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz wants to see lawsuits against the state of New York after its highest court decided to leave a gag order against former President Donald Trump in place.
He appeared on the Fox News show “Hannity,” where host Sean Hannity asked him for his thoughts on the gag order and how the former president’s hands would be tied in a debate against President Joe Biden next week if he is asked about the cases.
“Well [Trump’s legal team has] to appeal. I have a piece in tonight’s Wall Street Journal in which I urge people like us [to] file lawsuits against New York. After all, we have the right to hear Donald Trump in the election. This gag order says that Joe Biden can accuse Donald Trump of being a felon, having been convicted by an unfair jury [and] unfair judge of a non-crime,” the professor said.
“He has the right to do that, but Donald Trump has one hand tied behind his back because he can’t respond in full. He can’t talk about the judge’s daughter. He can’t talk about the unfairness of the jurors. I guess even the DA is now saying, ‘Well, maybe he can talk about the witnesses.’ But the First Amendment applies not only to Donald Trump, the speaker, but to all of us — the viewers and listeners. We have the right to hear a full and complete debate, not a partial debate in which Trump is restricted about what he can say,” he said.
“So I hope that the gag order will be appealed by Trump’s lawyers, and I hope amicus briefs — friend of the court briefs — will be submitted by ordinary people saying, ‘Look, you’re depriving us of our right to hear somebody. We’re undecided; we don’t know who we’re going to vote for. We may be influenced by this sordid and unfair conviction. We want to hear the other side.’ That’s why it’s so important that the gag order be lifted at this point. Not for Donald Trump’s sake alone, not for the Republican Party’s sake, but for the sake of all Americans — particularly undecided voters — who have a right to hear both sides of the issue,” Dershowitz added.
