Appeals judge lifts gag order that prevented Trump from attacking court staff

A New York appeals court judge temporarily lifted a gag order that prevented Donald Trump from attacking court staff in his $250 million fraud trial.

On Thursday, Trump filed a lawsuit against New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron over the gag order.

"The Gag Orders unconstitutionally infringe on Petitioners' freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment," Trump argued in his lawsuit. "Justice Engoron may not, by judicial decree, transmogrify the court's summary contempt power into an unfettered license to inflict public punishments on a defendant for the defendant's out-of-court statements made for the benefit of the fourth estate. Nor does the court's summary contempt power authorize Supreme Court and its staff to actively and independently investigate and prosecute violations of a gag order."

Later on Thursday, Judge David Friedman issued a stay of the gag order on free speech grounds.

Trump is facing $15,000 in fines for previously violating the gag order.

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