Donald Trump on Wednesday launched fresh vitriol against the judge and prosecuting attorney in his New York business fraud trial, carefully skirting a gag order imposed on him just a day prior.
Trump tried Tuesday to bully a court clerk, sharing false conspiracies about her as well as her personal information. Presiding Judge Arthur Engoron issued a gag order later that day prohibiting all parties involved in the case from publicly discussing court staff.
While Trump avoided mentioning court staff on Wednesday, he went all out with attacks against Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“This is election interference. They made up a fake case, these fraudulent people,” Trump told reporters. “And the judge already knows what he’s gonna do. He’s a Democrat judge. In all fairness to him, he has no choice.… He’s run by the Democrats.”
I think the judge has to keep their eyes on the prize, which is finding the most equitable outcome for all parties.
That only includes trying to keep Trump inline insofar as his behaviour might jeopardise an equitable outcome.
That means protecting court staff so they may execute their duties, but issuing orders needs to be balanced against the chances trumps supporters will believe the final ruling is inequitable.
True to form, that’s exactly how Trump has responded to this gag order “see! It’s all rigged!”
Letting Trump abuse his national platform to pervert and prevent the course of justice has nothing to do with fair treatment.
Also, as it’s a somewhat adversarial thing, an equitable OUTCOME would defeat the point. Especially in the case of Donald where there’s no doubt about his guilt.
The main job of these lawsuits aren’t finding out whether he’s guilty, it’s locking down the facts in such a manner that the worst bad faith and illogical but still following the letter of the law arguments against reality can’t gain legal traction.
Edit: having read the rest, I am now convinced that you’re using the wrong word. It’s fairness, not equity.
No matter the outcome and any circumstances, including letting him get away with hundreds of times more than a regular defendant, his cult following will continue to claim that he’s an innocently persecuted martyr. That’s how cults work.
Tl;dr: Trump is already being shown excessive leniency and basing anything on the reaction of a cult is lunacy.
An equitable outcome means that everyone’s interests (including the public’s) are appropriately weighed.
My point is, it’s the outcome which is important. The more bs there is along the way, including gag orders et cetera, the more fertile ground for discontent later on.
And my point is that the appropriate weight to give to the comfort of the obviously guilty and blatantly manipulative Trump’s wish to threaten and defame without consequences is none.
As for discontent later on, that’s a given, since his cult will believe his claims no matter how obviously false ni matter what anyone does or says, so trying to please them is a lost cause.
The only significant effect of imposing a general gag order is on the safety of those he’ll vilify to his unhinged and frequently violent cult following.
That and the news will be less saturated with his nonsense, but that’s just a very pleasant bonus.
I don’t see anyway his supporters ever see any negative outcome as just. The longer you let him spout off, the more they ll be convinced it’s a sham… Because he’s telling them that.
It’s s tough position for the judge to be sure but at some point, you have to address his bad behavior.