A new poll shows more than half of American voters, including a majority of Democrats, believe former President Donald Trump's First Amendment right to free speech has been violated by gag orders issued by judges in Washington, D.C., and New York.
U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, appointed by Barack Obama, issued a gag order Oct. 16 that bars Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, from making public statements targeting prosecutors, court staff, and potential witnesses in the 2020 election challenge case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit lifted the gag order Friday and set oral arguments for Nov. 20.
Also, Judge Arthur Engoron, a Democrat overseeing Trump's civil fraud trial in New York, issued a gag order Oct. 3, prohibiting the former president from disparaging court staffers after he publicly criticized the judge's law clerk in a social media post. Engoron then fined Trump $10,000 on Oct. 25 for violating the gag order and expanded the gag order Friday to include Trump's attorneys.
The DailyMail.com/TIPP poll conducted Nov. 1-3 and released Wednesday surveyed 1,000 American voters. It showed 56% said the gag orders infringe on his First Amendment right to free speech.
In the poll, 32% said the gag orders do not infringe on Trump's free speech rights, and 12% said they were not sure.
Politically, 70% of Republicans, 57% of Democrats, and 41% of independents agreed the gag orders violate Trump's free speech rights. Just 20% of Republicans, 36% of Democrats, and 40% of independents disagreed.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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