Judge Imposes Gag Order In Trump’s NY Civil Fraud Trial After Former President Posts About Court Clerk

The New York judge in former President Donald Trump’s non-jury civil fraud trial imposed a limited gag order after Trump shared the name and image of the judge’s clerk on social media.

“Personal attacks on members on my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate, and I won’t tolerate it [in my courtroom],” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron reportedly said, later adding to “consider this a gag order for all parties from posting about any members of my staff.”

The order from Engoron, who attracted ire on Monday after he appeared to pose for cameras during the trial, came after Trump posted an image on his Truth Social account about Engoron’s principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield, standing next to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

“Schumer’s girlfriend, Alison R. Greenfield, is running this case against me. How disgraceful! This case should be dismissed immediately!!” Trump said in his post, which has since been deleted.

The former president also reportedly said that Greenfield “should not be allowed to be in [Engoron’s] ear on every single question” and suggested that she “hates Trump.”

Engoron reportedly rebuked the “untrue and personally identifying posts” and later said, “Failure to abide by this order will result in serious sanctions.”

Trump entered the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Monday for the first day of his trial over claims that he inflated his net worth by as much as $2 billion in specific years for better loans; the former president has denied any wrongdoing and deemed the trial as “a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James wants to fine Trump $250 million, impose a five-year commercial real estate ban against the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and bar him and his sons — Donald Jr. and Eric — from running businesses in the Empire State.

Engoron, a Democrat, already ruled last week that Trump is liable for “persistent fraud” after the New York State Attorney General’s Office (OAG) said Trump had prepared, certified, and submitted false and misleading financial statements to lenders.

Following the first day in the Manhattan court, Trump claimed Engoron “essentially conceded” that much of James’ lawsuit was thrown out due to the statute of limitations.

“The last five minutes was outstanding because the judge essentially conceded that the statute of limitations, that we won at the court of appeals, is in effect,” Trump told reporters. “Therefore, about 80% of the case is over.”

The claim came after James questioned one of Trump’s former accountants, who reportedly said during testimony that the former president’s 2011 financial statements might have passed the time frame where claims could be brought to trial.

The New York Post reported that an appeals court ruled in June that the relevant statute of limitations was set in 2014, which Trump’s legal team argued cuts out most of the case.

But the presiding judge said Tuesday, “statutes of limitations bar claims, not evidence.”

“I want to emphasize: This trial is not an opportunity to relitigate what I have already decided,” Engoron said.

Trump’s trial in New York is expected to last into December.

Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.