Trump loses challenge to gag order in New York civil fraud case

A New York state appeals court on Thursday denied Donald Trump's bid to overturn a gag order restricting the former U.S. president from publicly talking about court staff in his New York civil fraud trial.

The judge overseeing the case, Justice Arthur Engoron, issued the gag order on Oct. 3 after the former U.S. president shared on social media a photo of the judge's law clerk posing with U.S. Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and falsely called her Schumer's girlfriend." The post left the court "inundated" with hundreds of threats made by Trump supporters, Engoron said.

Trump last month appealed, arguing the orders violated his constitutional right to free speech. On Thursday, the mid-level state appeals court, known as the Appellate Division, said the gag order did not have a major impact.

"Here, the gravity of potential harm is small, given that the Gag Order is narrow, limited to prohibiting solely statements regarding the court's staff," the order read.

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