New York Justice Juan Merchan expanded his gag order against former President Donald Trump on Monday, further limiting the Republican presidential candidate&#8217;s criticisms of family members of lawyers and jurists.
In a five-page ruling, Merchan scolded Trump for his posts on Truth Social targeting the judge&#8217;s daughter, Loren, who has served as an executive at a leftist political consulting firm that has worked with clients like President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/4568757-trumps-gag-order-in-hush-money-case-expanded-to-include-judges-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“This pattern of attacking family members of presiding jurists and attorneys assigned to his cases serves no legitimate purpose. It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings, that not only they, but their family members as well, are ‘fair game’ for Defendant’s vitriol,” Merchan wrote.
In the hush money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg against Trump, the former president stands accused of falsifying business records in an attempt to cover up an alleged affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels. The hush money case, widely viewed as the weakest case against the former president, was the first in a slew of criminal charges against Trump and made Trump the first ex-president to be charged with a crime. Trump has denied sending Daniels any hush money along with denying the alleged affair between them.
The trial is set to begin on April 15 after Merchan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-delays-trumps-hush-money-case-heres-where-the-former-presidents-4-criminal-trials-now-stand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delayed</a> it last month to give Trump&#8217;s legal team time to review a new dump of 100,000 pages of material that could be used as evidence in the case.
In his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-issues-gag-order-on-trump-ahead-of-new-york-criminal-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">initial gag order</a> last week, Merchan — who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-overseeing-trumps-hush-money-case-donated-to-bidens-2020-presidential-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donated</a> to Biden&#8217;s campaign against Trump in 2020 — restricted Trump&#8217;s ability to speak out about witnesses, prosecutors, and jurors involved in the criminal case, but the judge&#8217;s order didn&#8217;t apply to him or his family. Following the gag order, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-rails-against-judge-daughter-following-gag-order-in-ny-criminal-case-an-acute-case-of-trump-derangement-syndrome" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Merchan and his daughter, writing that Loren “represents Crooked Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and other Radical Liberals.”
Trump&#8217;s lawyers argued that the leading presidential candidate&#8217;s social media posts about the judge and his daughter are protected by the First Amendment and “necessary and appropriate in the current environment.”
Merchan disagreed, saying that the lawyers&#8217; arguments are &#8220;farcical&#8221; and calling Trump&#8217;s posts &#8220;dangerous rhetoric,&#8221; according to The Hill.
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Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112201335389709319" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to the expanded gag order, writing on Truth Social on Tuesday morning that Merchan &#8220;should be recused, and the case should be thrown out.&#8221;
&#8220;I just was informed that another corrupt New York Judge, Juan Merchan, GAGGED me so that I can not talk about the corruption and conflicts taking place in his courtroom with respect to a case that everyone, including the D.A., felt should never have been brought,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;They can talk about me, but I can’t talk about them??? That sounds fair, doesn’t it? This Judge should be recused, and the case should be thrown out. There has virtually never been a more conflicted judge than this one. ELECTION INTERFERENCE at its worst!&#8221;

Donald Trump

Judge Expands Gag Order Against Trump In Hush Money Case

Alvin Bragg

Court

Judge

New York

Stormy Daniels

U.S.

Former billionaire entrepreneur and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison on Thursday after he was found guilty in November of seven counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, crimes that cost customers and lenders billions of dollars.
New York Judge Lewis Kaplan slapped Bankman-Fried, also known as SBF, with 25 years after prosecutors said the 32-year-old should face a sentence between 40-50 years, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/sam-bankman-fried-sentencing-03-28-24/index.html">reported</a>. The judge found that following the collapse of the former billionaire&#8217;s cryptocurrency empire, investors, lenders, and customers lost more than $10 billion.
“He did it because he wanted to be a hugely, hugely political influential person in this country,” Kaplan said, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/28/us-news/sam-bankman-fried-faces-decades-in-prison-as-hes-sentenced-today-for-multi-billion-dollar-fraud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a>, adding, “He knew it was wrong, he knew it was criminal, he regrets that he made a very bad bet about the likelihood of being caught.&#8221;
Judge Kaplan also said in the sentencing hearing that SBF committed witness tampering and perjury during his monthslong trial when he communicated with the former FTX general counsel while in custody and falsely testified that he did not know that FTX&#8217;s sister hedge fund Alameda Research spent his customers&#8217; deposits before the fall of 2022.
SBF&#8217;s lawyers argued that their client should only face six and a half years at most, saying, “His real motivations were misapprehended and misunderstood.&#8221;
&#8220;Really he’s an awkward math nerd&#8230;He loves video games and veganism, and he’s compassionate to animals,&#8221; attorney Marc Mukasey added.
Bankman-Fried addressed the court during the sentencing hearing and apologized, according to CNN.
&#8220;A lot of people feel really let down, and they were very let down, and I am sorry about that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I am sorry about what happened at every stage. And there are things I should&#8217;ve done and things I shouldn&#8217;t have.&#8221;
&#8220;My useful life is probably over. It&#8217;s been over for a while now,&#8221; the 32-year-old added.
He <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/28/live-updates-ftx-founder-sam-bankman-fried-sentencing.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intends</a> to appeal the conviction and sentence.
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Along with becoming a giant in the crypto sphere, Bankman-Fried lobbied and donated millions of dollars to political campaigns and lawmakers. SBF donated nearly $40 million primarily to Democrat nominees and political action committees ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. He was also the second-largest donor to the 2020 Biden presidential campaign and was <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-29/bankman-fried-met-white-house-aides-in-pre-collapse-crypto-push" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted</a> four meetings at the White House with senior advisers in the months before his companies filed for bankruptcy.
SBF also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/11/16/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-pandemic-prevention/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dumped millions</a> of dollars into &#8220;pandemic prevention,&#8221; which included research into the development of new treatments, including for COVID-19. Before his company FTX collapsed, it was <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariredbord/2023/02/01/tom-brady-and-other-a-listers-fumble-ftx-endorsements-but-will-they-be-held-liable/?sh=7136bc497d8c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> by athletes and celebrities such as Tom Brady and his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, Stephen Curry, Kevin O&#8217;Leary, and Larry David, among others.
Last March, the Justice Department unsealed more <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-charged-for-allegedly-bribing-communist-chinese-officials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charges</a> for SBF, alleging that he “authorized and directed a bribe of at least $40 million to one or more Chinese government officials.”

Sam Bankman-Fried

Fraudster, Dem Megadonor Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced To Prison

Courts

Cryptocurrency

Prison

A Texas law giving state law enforcement officers expanded power to arrest people who illegally cross the southern border was blocked by a federal judge on Thursday — less than a week before the law was slated to go into effect.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra granted a preliminary injunction that will block the Texas law, which made crossing the border illegally a state crime, as record numbers of migrants cross into the U.S. under President Joe Biden, The Texas Tribune <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/29/texas-arrest-migrant-illegal-senate-bill-4-blocked/#:~:text=The%20law%2C%20Senate%20Bill%204,and%20several%20immigration%20advocacy%20organizations." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Ezra, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, wrote in his ruling that states &#8220;may not exercise immigration enforcement power except as authorized by the federal government.&#8221;
Ezra added that the Texas law conflicts with the Constitution &#8220;to the detriment of the United States&#8217; foreign relations and treaty obligations.&#8221; The law will be put on hold as the legal battle between Texas and the Biden administration continues.
The new immigration enforcement powers for police, which were proposed as Texas Senate Bill 4 and signed by Republican Governor Gregg Abbott, allow law enforcement officers to arrest and jail illegal immigrants and also grant state judges the power to order deportations. The law drew harsh criticism from the Biden administration, which argued that the state law interfered with federal immigration law.
In December, the ACLU <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aclu-sues-over-texas-law-allowing-state-officials-to-arrest-illegal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed a lawsuit</a> against Texas over the law, arguing that is discriminatory and will target minorities, and a month later, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state. The Biden administration’s and ACLU’s lawsuits have since been combined.
A lawyer for the state of Texas argued in court that the massive influx of illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico into the state constitutes an invasion, adding that under Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution, Texas has a right to defend itself. Judge Ezra, however, disagreed that Texas was under any sort of “military invasion.”
&#8220;I haven&#8217;t seen, and the state of Texas can&#8217;t point me to any type of military invasion in Texas,&#8221; Ezra said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t see evidence that Texas is at war.&#8221;
Abbott <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aclu-sues-over-texas-law-allowing-state-officials-to-arrest-illegal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pledged</a> in December that the state would fight to enforce the law all the way up to the Supreme Court. He said the law was necessary because of President Biden’s border policies, adding that “Texas has the constitutional authority to secure our border through historic laws like SB 4.”
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The Texas governor said he wasn&#8217;t surprised by the judge&#8217;s ruling on Thursday, adding that his administration &#8220;will not back down in our fight to protect Texas.&#8221;
&#8220;Texas has the constitutional right to defend itself because of President Biden&#8217;s ongoing failure to fulfill his duty. We will not back down in our fight to protect Texas,&#8221; Abbott wrote in a post on X. &#8220;This case will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Texas has the constitutional right to defend itself because of President Biden&#39;s ongoing failure to fulfill his duty.
We will not back down in our fight to protect Texas.
This case will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. <a href="https://t.co/o7ugwxViMU">pic.twitter.com/o7ugwxViMU</a>
&mdash; Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1763266760969461901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Illegal immigration

Federal Judge Blocks Texas Law Allowing Police To Arrest Illegal Immigrants

Biden Administration

Greg Abbott

Illegal Immigration

Texas

Former President Donald Trump got into a heated exchange with U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan on Wednesday during his E. Jean Carroll defamation trial. 
Trump was in the courtroom in Manhattan for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-back-in-court-for-e-jean-carroll-case-judge-denies-delay-for-trump-to-attend-mother-in-laws-funeral">second straight day</a> as a jury weighs how much he will have to pay Carroll after he was found liable last year of sexually abusing and defaming the magazine columnist, The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/16/news/donald-trump-vs-e-jean-carroll-defamation-trial-live-updates-analysis-reactions/">reported</a>. The former president was scolded by the judge after Carroll’s lawyer accused him of talking loudly about Carroll. 
 &#8220;Mr. Trump has a right to be present here but that right can be forfeited if he is disruptive … or disregards our orders,&#8221; said Kaplan, according to the Post.
Then Carroll’s lawyers told the judge that Trump had said, within earshot of the jurors, &#8220;It is a witch hunt. It really is a con job.” 
&#8220;Mr. Trump, I hope I don&#8217;t have to —” the judge began to reprimand Trump again. 
&#8220;I would love it. I would love it,&#8221; Trump reportedly said, throwing his hands in the air. 
&#8220;I understand that you are probably very eager for me to do that,&#8221; Kaplan responded. &#8220;I know you would like that, because you just can&#8217;t control yourself in this circumstance, apparently.&#8221;
&#8220;You can&#8217;t either,&#8221; Trump fired back.
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Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/111766162960416516" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on Truth Social on Tuesday, saying that Kaplan has “absolute hatred” for him.
“The only right, honest, and lawful thing that Clinton-appointed Judge Lewis Kaplan, who has so far been unable to see clearly because of his absolute hatred of Donald J. Trump (ME!), can do is to end this unAmerican injustice being done to a President of the United States, who was wrongfully accused by a woman he never met, saw, or touched (a photo line does not count!), and knows absolutely nothing about,” Trump said.
Trump’s legal team asked the judge if the trial could be delayed so the former president could go to his mother Amalija Knavs’ funeral on Thursday. Kaplan denied the request, and then also denied granting an adjournment on Thursday so Trump could make it to the funeral. Kaplan <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-defamation-trial-e-jean-carroll-01-16-24/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said Trump did not have to be present for the entire trial and could testify on a different day. 
Carroll is seeking $10 million in damages on top of the $5 million that a jury ordered Trump to pay last spring. In an article published in 2019, Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a department store changing room in 1996. Trump denied the sexual assault allegation, and then the magazine columnist sued him for defamation. Trump, the leading candidate in the Republican presidential primary, has maintained that he never met Carroll and called her allegations &#8220;fake.&#8221; 
Amanda Prestigiacomo contributed to this report.

Judge Threatens To Toss Trump Out Of Courtroom During Defamation Trial; Trump Responds, ‘I Would Love It’

Judge Threatens To Toss Trump Out Of Courtroom During Defamation Trial; Trump Responds, 'I Would Love It'

New York City

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>&#8216;s mother-in-law dying is not a sufficient reason to delay closing arguments in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-deliver-his-own-closing-argument-in-ny-civil-business-fraud-trial-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">civil business fraud trial</a> in New York, a judge told the former president&#8217;s attorney on Wednesday.
An email chain shows the lawyer, Chris Kise, <a href="https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=_PLUS_cASZsP0hNiBQOHYbw_PLUS_TPQ==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raising the issue</a> in the middle of a conversation about establishing the grounds by which Trump could deliver his own closing argument on Thursday.
&#8220;I am sad to advise the Court that Mrs. Trump&#8217;s mother passed away this evening,&#8221; Kise said, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/melania-trumps-mother-amalija-knavs-passes-away-at-78" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alluding to the death</a> of former first lady Melania Trump&#8217;s 78-year-old mother Amalija Knavs on Tuesday.
&#8220;Because of the challenges presented by this deeply personal family matter, President Trump has asked that I request the Court postpone the date for closing argument until on or after January 29, 2024, so that he may attend and participate in the Court proceedings,&#8221; Kise added.
Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, issued a reply Wednesday morning expressing his condolences but declaring that he would not approve a delay.
&#8220;I&#8217;m sure you realize, although you may not realize to what extent, that every appearance of Mr. Trump requires court officers, court clerks, administrators, security details, technical people, etc. to rearrange their schedules and to plan for the day,&#8221; Engoron said.
&#8220;The administration even had to &#8216;evict&#8217; the jury trial currently taking place in Room 300 for tomorrow. Of course, I am also anxious to hear a full day of closing statements as I consider the case as a whole. On balance, going forward makes the most sense. Please tell Mr. Trump that I am sorry,&#8221; the judge continued.
Kise replied by saying, &#8220;Despite the fact that his Mother-in Law, who he was very close to, passed away late last night, President Trump will be speaking tomorrow.&#8221;
However, Kise did not appear to have accepted Engoron&#8217;s demands that Trump agree to certain limitations such as barring the former president from impugning any of the participants at the trial or delivering a &#8220;campaign speech.&#8221; As indicated in the emails, Trump&#8217;s attorneys <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-will-not-be-speaking-judge-says-trump-cant-give-his-own-closing-argument-at-ny-civil-business-fraud-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did not meet</a> the repeatedly extended deadline for a response.
&#8220;Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow,&#8221; Engoron said.

Judge Arthur Engoron

Judge Rejects Trump’s Request For Delay Over Mother-In-Law’s Death

Judge Rejects Trump's Request For Delay Over Mother-In-Law's Death

On the eve of the third anniversary of the January 6 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/capitol-riot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Capitol riot</a>, a federal court ruled against a pro-Trump demonstrator, saying that even though he was “neither violent nor destructive,” he could still be convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to a year in prison.
Russell Alford was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/defendants/alford-russell-dean">sentenced</a> on February 23, 2023, to a year in prison after being found guilty of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
Alford challenged “the reasonableness of his sentence and the sufficiency of the evidence to support two of his convictions, both of which charged him with engaging in ‘disorderly or disruptive conduct.’” But D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson wrote Friday that the court affirmed his convictions, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/4392449-jan-6-rioters-who-were-passive-can-be-convicted-of-disorderly-conduct-court-rules/">reported</a>.
“The trial evidence indicated that, during Alford’s brief time within the Capitol, he was neither violent nor destructive,” wrote Henderson, a George H.W. Bush appointee. “Nevertheless, we affirm his convictions because a jury could rationally find that his unauthorized presence in the Capitol as part of an unruly mob contributed to the disruption of the Congress’s electoral certification and jeopardized public safety.”
“[I]t is equally clear from caselaw that even passive, quiet and nonviolent conduct can be disorderly,” the judge added in her ruling.
Immediately following the storming of the Capitol, the FBI began a years-long investigation into those who were present or participated in the massive demonstration on Capitol Hill as Congress met to vote on certification of the 2020 election. Since then, the Department of Justice has <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/36-months-jan-6-attack-capitol-0">charged</a> 452 people with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, which includes 123 people “who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.”
The vast majority of the charges — 1,186 — are for “entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds.” Some who weren’t even present at the Capitol on January 6 have also been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/enrique-tarrio-sentenced-to-decades-behind-bars-the-longest-j6-sentence-to-date">sentenced</a>. Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years behind bars, the longest January 6 sentence to date, after being found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
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Meanwhile, federal officials are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-still-looking-for-d-c-pipe-bomb-suspect-3-years-later">still looking</a> for a suspect as they investigate two pipe bombs that were planted outside the Democratic and Republican National Committees’ offices in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. A bulletin <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/washingtondc/news/500000-reward-remains-in-effect-for-information-about-capitol-hill-pipe-bomber">issued</a> by the FBI on Thursday said a $500,000 reward, which would be given in exchange for information leading to an individual’s arrest and conviction, “remains in effect.”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

January 6 Capitol Riot

Federal Judge Upholds Year-Long Prison Sentence For January 6 Demonstrator After Admitting He Was ‘Neither Violent Nor Destructive’

Federal Judge Upholds Year-Long Prison Sentence For January 6 Demonstrator After Admitting He Was 'Neither Violent Nor Destructive'

Capitol Riot

January 6

Washington D.C.

A three-time felon leaped over the bench in front of a Las Vegas judge who had just denied him probation and assaulted her, tackling her to the ground and forcing court officers to wrestle him to the ground, video shows.
Deobra Redden, 30, was being sentenced on Wednesday by Judge Mary Kay Holthus on a charge of attempted battery with substantial bodily harm. His attorney asked the judge to sentence Redden to probation.
“I think it’s time he got a taste of something else because I just can’t with that history,” Holthus said.
Redden then charged the bench, leaped over it, and tackled Holthus, knocking down an American flag and a Nevada state flag. Holthus hit her head, <a href="https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/las-vegas-judge-attacked-in-court-before-sentencing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KLAS</a> reported; a court spokesperson said she was “being monitored.” Additionally, a marshal suffered a gash on his forehead and was transported to the hospital, where he was later listed in stable condition, the outlet noted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a>: Here is the full video of the man jumping over and attacking a Clark County judge after the judge denied his probation <a href="https://t.co/iYl6rE9oDh">pic.twitter.com/iYl6rE9oDh</a>
&mdash; R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) <a href="https://twitter.com/rawsalerts/status/1742679978540474405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
“Thank God the judge is okay,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson stated. “Thank God for the heroic efforts of those who came to her aid, especially her marshal and her law clerk. Without them, the situation would have been much worse as this defendant exhibited extremely violent behavior and I’m confident there will be consequences.”
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Redden’s prior history includes having been sentenced to probation more than once; he has three felony convictions and nine misdemeanor convictions, KLAS <a href="https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/man-on-video-attacking-las-vegas-judge-was-granted-probation-multiple-times-once-by-same-judge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Redden was convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member in 2012; in 2013 he was convicted three times for domestic battery. He served a year in prison starting in 2021 for a domestic battery charge; he was granted parole in 2022. Last April, he threatened “to bust the kneecaps” of another man, “resulting in substantial bodily harm,” according to court documents.
“Sending our sincerest well wishes to District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus and the marshal injured in her courtroom today,” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford stated. “Your dedication to justice and the court are truly commendable. We wish you both a swift recovery.”

Close of gavel in courtroom

Wild Video Shows 3-Time Felon Leaping Over Bench, Assaulting Judge

Assault

Felony

Las Vegas

Kim Davis, the former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kentucky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kentucky</a> clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court&#8217;s landmark decision in 2015 on gay marriage, must pay $260,104 in fees to attorneys who represented a couple, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Despite Davis’ attorneys arguing that the fee request by the same-sex couple’s lawyers was excessive, U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning said that the former clerk’s lawyers exaggerated and “belie[d] logic,” the Lexington Herald-Leader <a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article283727788.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The $260,104 in attorneys fees is in addition to $100,000 in damages a jury ordered Davis to pay David Ermold and David Moore, a couple who won a lawsuit against her last September. Davis’ attorneys are expected to appeal Bunning’s ruling.
“They sought to vindicate their fundamental right to marry and obtain marriage licenses, and they did so,” Bunning said of the couple.
The ruling is the latest in a more than eight-year legal struggle for Davis, an evangelical Christian who was the county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, in 2015, shortly after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which ruled that same-sex couples are guaranteed a right to marry under the U.S. Constitution. Davis made headlines after the decision when Ermold and Moore walked into the Rowan County Courthouse followed by journalists and protesters, seeking to obtain a marriage license.
To avoid issuing any marriage licenses to gay couples, which Davis said was against her religious convictions, she refused to hand out marriage licenses to any couple. After entering the courthouse in September of 2015, Ermold asked Davis “under whose authority” she refused to issue a marriage license, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/us/same-sex-marriage-kentucky-kim-davis.html?smid=pl-share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The New York Times.
“Under God’s authority,” she responded.
Davis was then jailed for five days for contempt of court, and the gay couple’s marriage license was issued by a deputy clerk after Davis’ name was removed from the form while she was behind bars. The former county clerk was also sued by another gay couple whose license she denied, but a separate jury didn’t award them any damages, WKYT <a href="https://www.wkyt.com/2024/01/02/judge-kim-davis-owes-250k-attorneys-fees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
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Davis lost her re-election bid in 2018 to Democrat Elwood Caudill Jr. by eight percentage points, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-rules-former-clerk-refused-issue-same-sex-marriage-licenses-pay-260000-legal-expenses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Ermold, one of the men to whom Davis refused to issue a marriage license, also ran in the primary against Caudill Jr. in 2018, but came up short. After his primary loss, Ermold said he would prefer Davis win the election over Caudill Jr.
&#8220;I just want him to lose. I would rather Kim Davis win,&#8221; Ermold said. &#8220;At least Kim Davis has the integrity to stand up for what she believes in. Elwood Caudill is a liar.&#8221;

Kim Davis

Kentucky Clerk Who Refused To Issue Licenses Following SCOTUS Gay Marriage Ruling Must Pay Over $260K In Fees, Judge Rules

Kentucky

Same-Sex Marriage

Supreme Court

The judge presiding over special counsel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jack-smith">Jack Smith</a>&#8216;s 2020 election case reinstated a gag order against former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> on Sunday night.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, lifted her temporary stay after Trump publicly took aim at Mark Meadows, Trump&#8217;s former White House chief of staff who is <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-meadows-former-trump-chief-of-staff-cooperating-special-counsel-election-interference-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly cooperating</a> with the special counsel.
&#8220;As this court has explained, the First Amendment rights of participants in criminal proceedings must yield, when necessary, to the orderly administration of justice,&#8221; Chutkan <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.124.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, adding later, &#8220;And contrary to Defendant’s argument, the right to a fair trial is not his alone, but belongs also to the government and the public.”
Chutkan issued a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-issues-gag-order-against-trump-in-federal-election-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">narrow gag order</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-releases-details-in-limited-gag-order-against-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">against</a> Trump earlier this month, restricting him from chastising prosecutors, court staff, and potential witnesses. The judge temporarily lifted the gag order at the request of Trump&#8217;s lawyers while they pursued an appeal.
But prosecutors soon <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24085250/show_temp-68.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> her to reinstate the order, saying Trump went back to the sort of &#8220;targeting&#8221; it would prevent. As examples, the filing cited an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/prosecutors-accuse-trump-of-threatening-former-chief-of-staff-mark-meadows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;unmistakable and threatening message&#8221;</a> on social media about Meadows possibly testifying in exchange for immunity against prosecution and comments he made about his former chief of staff <a href="https://twitter.com/EdKrassen/status/1717190712633041168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to reporters</a> in New York. Trump also called Smith &#8220;deranged.&#8221;
In her new <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.124.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opinion</a>, Chutkan rejected claims by the defendant that her order was &#8220;unconstitutionally vague&#8221; and determined that appeals for &#8220;broad&#8221; First Amendment rights were outweighed by the need to &#8220;protect the integrity&#8221; of the proceedings. Beyond restoring the stay, the judge also denied Trump&#8217;s motion for a long-term stay of the gag order.
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With a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump vowed to appeal while accusing Chutkan of bias and saying the judge should have recused herself from the case. &#8220;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!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/111322079015303492" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Trump&#8217;s campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said the judge&#8217;s order amounts to &#8220;election interference.&#8221;
“The American people have the right to hear from President Trump, the leading candidate in the 2024 Presidential election, and no court or prosecutor can be allowed to commit election interference,&#8221; Cheung said in a Monday statement. &#8220;President Trump is Constitutionally entitled to speak the truth to all Americans as he fights these hoaxes and as he marches on to defeat Crooked Joe Biden and Radical Democrats. The gag order in question is so egregious, that even the ACLU agrees that it has to go. President Trump will never stop fighting for our Democracy and our Constitution.”
Trump is facing four criminal cases, two of which are being spearheaded by Smith: the one in which Trump is accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election and another focused on the former president&#8217;s handling of classified documents. Trump is also contending civil litigation. A judge <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-imposes-gag-order-in-trumps-ny-civil-fraud-trial-after-former-president-posts-about-court-clerk">dealt Trump a gag order</a> in a New York fraud trial, which has already led to two violation fines — the most recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-fines-trump-10000-over-gag-order-violation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">costing $10,000</a>.
Throughout the whirlwind legal battles, Trump has broadly denied wrongdoing, pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces, and claims that politically motivated prosecutors are conducting a &#8220;witch hunt&#8221; against him.
All the while, Trump is running a 2024 campaign, potentially paving the way to a 2020 rematch against President Joe Biden. Trump&#8217;s legal defense effort has sapped up <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/29/us/trump-pac-legal-fees.html">a great deal of resources</a> as well as media attention, but he is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/latest-2024-presidential-polling-trump-rises-above-biden-again">leading GOP polls</a> heading into the primary season.
This piece was updated with comment from the Trump campaign.

Judge Reinstates Gag Order Against Trump In Federal Election Case

2020 Election

Mark Meadows

Politics

An Oklahoma judge faces a formal attempt to remove her from the bench after she was caught texting during the trial of a man accused of murdering a 2-year-old boy.
Lincoln County District Judge Traci Soderstrom was found to have sent 500 texts to her bailiff during the trial of Khristian Martzall, who allegedly beat to death 2-year-old Braxton Danker, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/12/judge-on-phone-during-murder-trial-sent-500-texts-could-lose-job/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Among the texts Soderstrom sent was calling Danker’s mother, Judith, a “liar” as she sobbed on the stand about her boyfriend allegedly murdering her son.
“Can I please scream &#8216;liar, liar?&#8217;” Soderstrom texted as Judith testified for the prosecution.
“State just couldn’t accept that a mom could kill their kid, so they went after the next person available,” she also texted.
The texts were included in a report from Oklahoma’s Council on Judicial Complaints, which investigated Soderstrom. The chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court recommended removing Soderstrom from the bench due to the complaint board’s findings. Soderstrom has only been a judge since January.
Soderstrom accepted a temporary suspension on Tuesday, <a href="https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge-photographed-male-lawyers-in-hot-pink-chairs-exchanged-500-plus-texts-during-murder-trial-petition-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the American Bar Association Journal</a>.
Soderstrom told the Council on Judicial Complaints that her texting “probably could have waited.”
Chief Justice John Kane IV, in his recommendation to remove Soderstrom from the bench, said her “pattern of conduct demonstrates [Soderstrom’s] gross neglect of duty, gross partiality” and “lack of temperament to serve as a judge.”
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“The totality of the text messages give the appearance Respondent believed the defendant was innocent and that she wanted a particular outcome in the case,” Kane added.
The complaint to the council also included a separate offense in which Soderstrom asked male lawyers to sit in the hot pink chairs in her chambers so she could photograph them. She was also accused of making inappropriate comments on Facebook, screaming at a court services coordinator, and making misleading statements to the council.
During the murder trial, Soderstrom also asked the bailiff whether a juror was wearing a wig, and whether a witness had any teeth. She also called a police officer who testified “pretty.”
“I could look at him all day,” she texted.
Soderstrom also derided District Attorney Adam Panter in the text messages, saying he was “sweating through his coat” while he questioned potential jurors. She also asked: “Why does he have baby hands?”
In contrast, Soderstrom described the defense attorney as “awesome” and asked, “Can I clap for her?” according to the Post.
Martzall was convicted of murdering the young boy and sentenced to four years with credit for time served. Judith Danker, the boy’s mother, pleaded guilty to enabling child abuse and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Judge’s Gavel

Judge Caught Texting During Murder Trial, Suggesting Mother Of Murdered Son Could Be Killer

Oklahoma

Former President Donald Trump took aim at a law clerk working for the judge in his Manhattan Supreme Court trial, referring to her as Senator Chuck Schumer&#8217;s (D-NY) &#8220;girlfriend&#8221; and demanding that the case be thrown out.
Trump was responding to a photo that @judicialprotest shared via X, which showed Schumer and Judge Arthur Engoron&#8217;s law clerk Allison R. Greenfield together, smiling.
&#8220;Why is Judge Engoron&#8217;s Principal Law Clerk, Allison R. Greenfield, palling around with Chuck Schumer?&#8221; the account asked in the caption.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Why is Judge Engoron&#39;s Principal Law Clerk, Allison R. Greenfield, palling around with Chuck Schumer? 👇 <a href="https://t.co/HZvyB8kR28">https://t.co/HZvyB8kR28</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Trump</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Trump2024</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarALago?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarALago</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MAGA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MAGA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakeAmericaGreatAgain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeAmericaGreatAgain</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EricTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EricTrump</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DonaldJTrumpJr</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ktdonleavme?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KTDonLeavme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DC_Draino?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DC_Draino</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackPosobiec</a> <a href="https://t.co/o0snIqfxmd">pic.twitter.com/o0snIqfxmd</a>
&mdash; Judicial Protest (@JudicialProtest) <a href="https://twitter.com/JudicialProtest/status/1707058572834594837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump shared the X post along with his own comment in a since-deleted post on Truth Social, saying, “Schumer’s girlfriend, Alison R. Greenfield, is running this case against me. How disgraceful! This case should be dismissed immediately!!&#8221;
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Trump has been very vocal in his complaints about the trial — which he has referred to as a continuation of previous politically motivated &#8220;witch hunts&#8221; — prompting Whoopi Goldberg to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whoopi-goldberg-is-very-upset-that-donald-trump-gets-free-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complain</a> on &#8220;The View&#8221; that no one was limiting his speech.
Goldberg made the comments during Tuesday&#8217;s broadcast, suggesting that Trump&#8217;s complaints amounted to the kind of threats that should result in his speech being restricted — and suggesting that if she were to make similar statements, the First Amendment would not protect her.
&#8220;Why can he continue to threaten judges, threaten AGs, and threaten just people?&#8221; she asked. &#8220;Now, I understand that some folks say it’s freedom of speech, but if I did that, they would not consider it freedom of speech.&#8221;
&#8220;So why does he get to continue to threaten — and it’s threats like he did with January 6th,” she added. “He basically said, ‘Come after her.’ He didn’t say exactly those words, but I don’t know how else you take those words — but why is he continuously allowed to do that when none of us would be able to?&#8221;
Co-host Sunny Hostin pointed out that the former president was bound by some &#8220;gag orders&#8221; — which prevent him from threatening potential witnesses — but that they were not terribly &#8220;expansive.&#8221;

Donald Trump Attends Monumental Leaders Rally In South Dakota

Trump’s Latest Attack Takes Aim At Judge’s Law Clerk: ‘How Disgraceful!’

Trump's Latest Attack Takes Aim At Judge's Law Clerk: 'How Disgraceful!'

Chuck Schumer

Fraud

Judge Pauline Newman, 96, was suspended Wednesday from her seat on the Washington-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit after she refused to undergo medical testing as some raised concerns about her mental fitness.
The federal judge was barred from hearing cases for a year by a judicial panel of her colleagues, but Newman, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, accused them of baselessly claiming she is unfit to push her out of office. The judge insists that she maintains the mental and physical capacities to remain on the bench, The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/judge-suspended-age-disability-federal-newman-afaa58f65bfd6612300ae5a925c7cc55" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
The council justified its suspension by saying it has “reasonable concerns” that Newman “suffers from a disability preventing her from effectively discharging the duties of her office.”
“Judge Newman has been having trouble recalling events, conversations, and information just days old and having trouble comprehending basic information that court staff communicate to her,” the council wrote.
The council also <a href="https://cafc.uscourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/JudicialMisconductOrders/September%2020,%202023%20Judicial%20Council%20Order.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it conducted more than 20 interviews in its investigation, which, “along with numerous emails sent by Judge Newman, provided overwhelming evidence that Judge Newman may be experiencing significant mental problems including memory loss, lack of comprehension, confusion, and an inability to perform basic tasks that she previously was able to perform with ease.”
Writing more than 300 dissenting opinions over her nearly 40-year career, Newman has been lauded as the “<a href="https://repository.law.uic.edu/facpubs/667/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Circuit’s Great Dissenter</a>” and the “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/06/05/newman-federal-circuit-oldest-judge-retirement-fight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heroine of the patent system</a>.” She served on a presidential committee that helped create the Federal Circuit in 1982 and was then appointed by Reagan to serve on the court, according to The Washington Post. 
Newman’s lawyers wrote that she was first asked to step down in March by Chief Judge Kimberly Moore, who said she had &#8220;probable cause to believe&#8221; Newman had a cognitive disability. After her colleagues initially raised concerns about her continuing to serve, Newman filed a federal lawsuit in May, arguing that they were violating the Constitution, which has no mandated retirement age for federal judges appointed for life. 
Newman refused to be evaluated by doctors picked by a special committee, but her lawyers said the judge was checked by two independent physicians who determined she was mentally fit to remain on the bench. 
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&#8220;In light of the considered opinions of now two independent expert practitioners, both of whom have found that Judge Newman is fully competent and entirely capable of continuing in office, the Committee, even if it ever had a legitimate basis to question Judge Newman’s competence, has no further basis for requiring additional testing or continuing to question Judge Newman’s abilities,&#8221; Newman’s lawyers said, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/federal-judge-96-barred-hearing-cases-panel-claims-lack-mental-fitness-baseless-allegations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News.
The fight between Newman and her colleagues comes after numerous politicians on Capitol Hill have shown concerning signs of mental lapses as Congress and the White House are home to an aging group of career politicians.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 81, worried colleagues and voters after freezing mid-sentence during a press conference for the second time earlier this month, while 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has faced health struggles and mental lapses after being absent from D.C. for ten weeks while she recovered from the shingles virus. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, 80, has fallen, appeared lost, and said undistinguishable words multiple times while appearing in front of crowds and the press.

Judge Pauline Newman

96-Year-Old Federal Judge Barred From Hearing Cases As Concerns Rise Over Her Mental Fitness

aging

Federal Government

Mental Health

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