"Trump's Gag Order Battle: Implications for Election Subversion Case"
A federal appeals panel is likely to restore the limited gag order in former President Donald Trump's federal election subversion case, but may loosen some restrictions to allow him to directly criticize special counsel Jack Smith. The panel of judges expressed skepticism towards Trump's claims that the gag order violates his free speech rights, but also posed sharp questions to prosecutors about the boundary between political campaign rhetoric and undermining a criminal case. The judges suggested that Trump should have the right to defend himself and criticized the special counsel's office for not proactively protecting jurors from online threats. The judges are expected to issue a ruling soon.