Judge Threatens to Jail Trump, Finds Him in Contempt of Court

Judge Juan Merchan said Monday that the ‘court will have to consider a jail sanction.’

(Left) Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his chambers in New York on March 14, 2024. (Right) Former President Donald Trump at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on March 25, 2024. Seth Wenig/AP Photo; Spencer Platt/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s so-called “hush-money” trial in New York on Monday found the former president in contempt of court for alleged gag order violations, warning that he might jail him.

“I find you in criminal contempt for the 10th time,” the judge told President Trump, adding that “going forward this court will have to consider a jail sanction.”