The expanded gag order means Trump won't get the names of jurors if his behavior continues, so he fought against the gag order.
Roger Parloff from Lawfare observed that the expanded gag order now has more consequences:
… Though jurors’ names will be protected from *public* dissemination, Trump & his lawyers would, by statute, normally have access so they can research open source info about them, like political registration & social media accounts. …
/2— Roger Parloff (@rparloff) April 2, 2024
That's good and all, but it seems to have had no effect on Trump, who is now sharing videos of Fox News spreading his criticisms for him.
Posting a video of Fox News saying something isn't a breach of the gag order, as Trump didn't say it himself.
All gag orders pose problems for Trump because he's running for president to avoid being convicted of a crime, so if he can't use the campaign platform to help avoid conviction, it undermines his reason for running.
Sarah Jones poses the important question:
If Trump continues to go after Judge Merchan’s daughter, the names of jurors *might* be withheld from defendant.
Yet Jack Smith has been compelled to file for protections for jurors in different Trump case citing intimidation.
Why is getting the names even on the table? https://t.co/GX0UrfRkw0
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 2, 2024
It's part of the law in New York for his legal team to have access to juror names so that any defendant can receive a fair defense, but Donald Trump continues to show why he shouldn't have access. It would be hard to name another criminal defendant who has criticized the courts, judges, witnesses, and would likely do the same to criminal trial jurors in public like the ex-president has.
If there was ever a case where the judge would consider it a matter of safety for a defendant not to have access to juror names, it's this one.
Trump will continue to play games and find ways to bypass the technical language of any gag order imposed on him.
To really get his attention, the court needs to take away his bail.
