Jack Smith Wants Trump Gag Order Reinstated in Election Case

Federal prosecutors argued that a gag order targeting the former president should remain intact.

(L) Special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, on Aug. 1, 2023; and (R) former U.S. President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 8, 2022. Saul Loeb, Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images

Special counsel Jack Smith filed court papers Tuesday seeking to uphold a gag order in former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election case, claiming that the former president’s public criticism of the prosecutor is reason to keep it intact.

Last week, an appeals court in Washington suspended the gag order, which was handed down earlier by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. The former president had appealed the restrictions that were imposed by the judge, arguing they violate his First Amendment right to free speech.