The federal judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘election interference’ case has issued a ruling that involved potentially jailing him.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has turned down a request by the Justice Department to put Trump behind bars if he violates her recently re-imposed gag order, according to Newsweek on Monday. Her order denied federal prosecutors’ request to incorporate her order into the conditions of Trump’s release.
“Even assuming that request is procedurally proper, the court concludes that granting it is not necessary to effectively enforce the order at this time,” she wrote.
The order lifted a temporary hold she placed on her initial gag order, determining that “the right to a fair trial is not [Trump’s] alone but belongs also to the government and the public.”
Chutkan “also denied Trump’s request to issue a long-term stay of the order, which bars the former president from publicly targeting court personnel, potential witnesses, or the special counsel’s team, while his appeal of it played out,” CNN added.
Elected state attorney Michael McAuliffe, a former federal prosecutor, told Newsweek that the judge was very likely being “careful and deliberate” in her ruling because the Trump case has drawn so much attention from all political quarters.
“She certainly knows her every action, including small decisions about the gag order, will be scrutinized and appealed,” McAuliffe told Newsweek. “As such, she is taking a decidedly incremental approach. A good judge knows to wait until issues are ripe for resolution.”
Trump unloaded on U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan after she reimposed a gag order on him that she froze earlier this month.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to rip the reinstated gag order as an unconstitutional action that “will not stand.”
“I have just learned that the very Biased, Trump Hating Judge in D.C., who should have RECUSED herself due to her blatant and open loathing of your favorite President, ME, has reimposed a GAG ORDER which will put me at a disadvantage against my prosecutorial and political opponents,” he wrote.
“This order, according to many legal scholars, is unthinkable! It illegally and unconstitutionally takes away my First Amendment Right of Free Speech, in the middle of my campaign for President, where I am leading against BOTH Parties in the Polls,” he added.
“Few can believe this is happening, but I will appeal. How can they tell the leading candidate that he, and only he, is seriously restricted from campaigning in a free and open manner? It will not stand!” he continued.
He added later: “The Obama appointed Federal Judge in D.C, a TRUE TRUMP HATER, is incapable of giving me a fair trial. Her Hatred of President DONALD J. TRUMP is so great that she has been diagnosed with a major, and incurable, case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME!!!”
