Judge finds Trump in contempt for violating his gag order - CNN

[TexasTowelie]

Judge Juan Merchan has found Donald Trump in contempt for violating his gag order nine times and ordered him to pay $9,000 for criticizing expected trial witnesses on social media and his campaign page. Trump must remove the seven “offending posts” from Truth Social and the two “offending posts” from his campaign website by 2:15 p.m. today. The judge also threatened incarceration if Trump willfully violates the gag order again.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Trump likely finds it a nominal fee for

getting his message out.

[Harker]

2. Good.

It's more a matter of 'when' than 'if' the gag order is violated again.

Now we'll see if he really does want to go to the lockup for a dose of martyrdom.

[Think. Again.]

3. "Threatened incarceration" or explained that...

....incarceration will be the next level of response to more violations?

[Chainfire]

4. I doubt that we will have to mull over that question for long.

My sister in law raised three rouge children. The all became rouge adults (two convicted felons). I remember as they were growing up, there was a constant dialog of, "Johnny, stop that" but with never any enforcement of the commands. They did what they wanted to do, when they wanted to do it. She made those children what they grew up to be. The court has the ability to put Trump in "time-out," lets see if he has the courage to do it.

Just treat Trump like any other criminal defendant.

[unblock]

5. Technical questions: is this "civil" or "criminal" contempt? And

Does this now mean he's in violation of release conditions in his other cases?

My guess is this is "civil" contempt because I think there needs to he a whole separate trial for that and therefore this doesn't, in and of itself create a problem for him in the other criminal cases, but I find the information I'm finding online unclear on this topic....

[Chainfire]

6. There is nothing civil about Trump's contempt. ;)

[TexasTowelie]

7. I read an article (can't remember where) that it is criminal contempt and that he is violation of his bond conditions.

As I pointed out in a different thread, it will be interesting to see what Judge Chutkan does with this development.

[unblock]

8. Yeah it's so confusing. I've also read somewhere that it's more about the purpose of the contempt finding

That if it's meant to coerce compliance (taking down his offending posts) then it's civil, but if it's meant as punishment, then it's criminal. So that bit makes me think this is civil contempt for now, but if Donnie refuses, and the judge then locks him up, at that point it would be criminal contempt.

But I'm not a lawyer and certainly not an expert in New York criminal law....

[TeamProg]

9. LOCK HIM UP !! LOCK HIM UP !! LOCK HIM UP !! LOCK HIM UP !! nt

[MagaSmash]

10. Wow a fine! Chump Change. No Deterrance whatsoever. And bet he doesn't attend the graduation.

[Irish_Dem]

11. Trump should be sentenced to jail for contempt when the trial is over.

Let that hang over his head.