Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has joined 17 other AG’s from across the country in coming to the legal defense of former President Donald Trump.
The issue involves a gag order imposed by Washington D.C federal judge Tanya Chutkan involving election interference.
According to the New York Times, special counsel Jack Smith is The gag order on Trump was suspended this month by the appeals court as it considers whether the trial judge in the case, Tanya S. Chutkan, was justified in imposing it in the first place. The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments about the order next week.
The effort is being led by Iowa Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird, along with 17 other Republican state attorney generals, who filed an amicus brief with the Washington, D.C., appeals court asking the court to strike the gag order on former President Donald Trump during his Washington trial regarding his interference in the 2020 election.
The Attorneys General argue the gag order is “unconstitutional” and that it interferes with the 2024 election because Judge Chutkan’s order prevents Trump from campaigning effectively,
Judge Chutkan had previously placed an order after the former President attacked court staff and potential witnesses in the case on October 16 but stayed the order later that week after Trump’s legal team appealed the order to the appellate court.
The judge reinstated the gag order, and Trump continued to post on the social media platform Truth Social about special counsel Jack Smith and possible witnesses in the case.
However, Bird and the Attorneys General argue that the order was over-broad and it prohibits Trump from criticizing the prosecution, the court, and “even his primary opponents.”
“All Americans have the right to free speech, including presidential candidates like President Donald Trump,” Bird said in a news release. “That right is secured for every American in the Constitution, regardless of whether we agree with each other. Unconstitutionally restricting a political candidate’s free speech while they run for office is a dangerous precedent and a disservice to American voters.”
You can read a copy of the brief here.
