The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s business records trial will allow him to attend his son Barron Trump’s high school graduation next month.
Judge Juan Merchan announced on Tuesday that Trump could have the date of his son’s graduation, May 17, off, the New York Times reported.
“I don’t think the May 17 date is a problem,” Merchan said after waiting for weeks to issue a ruling on Trump’s request for the day off.
Judge Merchan takes the bench and advises that Trump can attend Barron’s graduation on May 17th.
— Katie Phang (@KatiePhang) April 30, 2024
Merchan had previously acknowledged the request but refused to issue a ruling, as Breitbart News’s Hannah Knudsen noted, citing Business Insider.
“It really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial,” Merchan had originally said, according to the outlet.
In a Truth Social post on April 16, Trump predicted he would not be able to attend Barron’s commencement and blasted Merchan for taking his time to make a decision:
Who will explain for me, to my wonderful son, Barron, who is a GREAT Student at a fantastic School, that his Dad will likely not be allowed to attend his Graduation Ceremony, something that we have been talking about for years, because a seriously Conflicted and Corrupt New York State Judge wants me in Criminal Court on a bogus ‘Biden Case’ which, according to virtually all Legal Scholars and Pundits, has no merit, and should NEVER have been brought.
Despite Merchan ruling in Trump’s favor on this front Tuesday, he held the 45th president in criminal contempt and threatened him with jail time after ruling he violated the court’s gag order, as Breitbart News’s Wendell Husebø reported.
“Defendant is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment,” the judge wrote in the order.
Merchan fined Trump $1,000 per violation on a total of nine infractions and ordered him to remove seven posts from Truth Social and two posts from his campaign website.
Trump took to Truth Social Tuesday afternoon to contend that Merchan is stripping him of his First Amendment right.
“This Judge has taken away my Constitutional Right to FREE SPEECH. I am the only Presidential Candidate in History to be GAGGED,” he wrote.
“This whole ‘Trial’ is RIGGED, and by taking away my FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THIS HIGHLY CONFLICTED JUDGE IS RIGGING THE PRESIDENTIAL OF 2024 ELECTION. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!” he added.
Merchan’s gag order prevents Trump from making public comments about witnesses regarding participation in the trial, counsel other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), “members of the court’s staff and the District Attorney’s staff, or … the family members of any counsel or staff member, if those statements are made with the intent to materially interfere with … counsel’s or staff’s work” on the case. It also prohibits Trump from commenting publicly “about any prospective juror or any juror in this criminal proceeding.”
The case is New York v. Trump, No. 71543-23, in the New York Supreme Court for New York County.