Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to lift the gag order against President Trump and postpone his sentencing in New York until after the November 5 election.
Bailey's petition argues that Judge Juan Merchan's rulings hinder Trump's ability to campaign freely, claiming the gag order restricts Trump’s stump speeches and prevents him from raising issues like the judge's daughter working for a firm that previously aided Democratic campaigns.
The lawsuit frames the request as a state-to-state dispute, with Bailey asserting that Missourians' First Amendment rights are violated by limiting their access to Trump. The Supreme Court's willingness to consider the case remains uncertain.
On Tuesday, Judge Merchan agreed to delay Trump's sentencing to September 18, to assess the impact of the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity on the New York case. The gag order, partly lifted after Trump’s trial, still restricts Trump from commenting on court staffers, individual prosecutors, and certain family members, though he can now speak about trial witnesses like Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels. The order was originally imposed due to concerns that Trump’s comments could incite threats or targeting of those covered by the order.
Bailey told Axios, “When President Trump is tethered to a courtroom in New York due to a rogue prosecutor in a collusive judiciary, then Missourians are denied access to that candidate. Our First Amendment right to hear from that candidate was additionally violated by the gag order that was put in place.”
