Donald Trump's New York Gag Order Could Be Reinstated After Social Media Outburst, DOJ Court Filing Reveals

In a recent court filing on Thanksgiving — Thursday, November 23 — the Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted a document to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that a gag order against former President Donald Trump must remain intact during the civil proceedings in New York.

This development comes as New York State Attorney General Letitia James has accused Trump of fraudulently inflating the value of his properties in financial statements.

Cecil Vandevender, an assistant special counsel for the DOJ, notified the appeals court on Thursday, November 23, about the need to reinstate the gag order against Trump. The government's court filings pointed to evidence submitted as part of the $250 million civil fraud trial in New York.

One key section in the filings details "hundreds of threatening and harassing voicemail messages" directed toward Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the civil trial, and the judge's law clerk, Allison Greenfield.

Engoron had previously fined Trump twice in October for violating his gag order. The first violation occurred when the former president failed to remove a Truth Social post targeting Greenfield from his website more than two weeks after the judge ordered its deletion. The second violation happened when Trump described Greenfield as a "very partisan" individual to reporters outside the New York courtroom.

To support their argument for the gag order, the DOJ cited evidence submitted in New York, including documentation of ongoing threats and harassment against Trump.

As OK! previously reported, almost immediately after the gag order was lifted, the ex-prez took to Truth Social to bash the judge and demanded Engoron be prosecuted.

According to an affidavit from Charles Hollon, an employee of the Public Safety Department's Judicial Threats Assessment Unit, there are 275 pages of transcribed threatening messages and voicemails directed at Judge Engoron and his court staff since early October.

A separate gag order imposed by Judge Tanya Chutkan in the federal election case is currently being considered by the D.C. appeals court.

It would prohibit the former president from attacking prosecutors, such as Special Counsel Jack Smith, and any potential witnesses ahead of next year's federal trial.

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Trump and his legal team have consistently maintained that any gag order against a presidential candidate is a violation of their First Amendment rights.

While the gag order in New York had been paused for the court to consider constitutional arguments, the DOJ has now provided evidence to bolster its case for its reinstatement.

Trump's office has yet to comment on the DOJ's filing.