Federal Judge Aileen Cannon rejected special counsel Jack Smith’s request for a gag order against former President Donald Trump in his confidential documents trial. Trump faces trials for allegedly holding onto classified documents, with gag orders in two other criminal proceedings. Judge Cannon criticized prosecutors for not following court rules and suggested they could refile the request after discussing with Trump’s defense team. The rejection was procedural, leaving underlying issues unaddressed, and it follows Cannon’s encouragement for more open dialogue between prosecutors and Trump’s defense. The request stemmed from Trump's claims that FBI agents were authorized to kill him during a raid, which prosecutors fear could endanger agents. Critics note the FBI's standard policy aims to limit force, and Trump's lawyers view the request as an attempt to silence him amid his presidential campaign.
Judge Cannon rejects request for gag order against Trump in classified docs case (CNN)
Judge Cannon rebukes Trump prosecutors over gag order request (Politico)
Judge denies limited gag order request in Trump documents case (NYT)
