A New York judge will hear arguments Thursday over a proposed protective order in Donald Trump’s criminal case that would limit the former president’s ability to publicize information about the investigation.
Trump will not be in attendance for Thursday’s hearing, the first since he pleaded not guilty last month to charges of falsifying business records with the intent to conceal illegal conduct connected to his 2016 presidential campaign.
As a result, the hearing is unlikely to draw the crowds or require the police presence that shut down blocks of lower Manhattan in order to facilitate Trump’s appearance.
The hearing is the first of several pre-trial steps for the prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case, which isn’t likely to head to trial until next year.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is seeking to restrain Trump’s access to the evidence it turns over to his attorneys in the case, citing in part Trump’s social media posts about Bragg and potential witnesses.
The former president’s attorneys oppose the DA’s proposal, arguing that the state should be just as restrained as Trump from what information it can discuss publicly. Trump’s attorneys say that Trump, as a 2024 presidential candidate, should have the ability to defend himself against the charges while campaigning.
“To state the obvious, there will continue to be significant public commentary about this case and his candidacy, to which he has a right and a need to respond, both for his own sake and for the benefit of the voting public,” Trump’s attorneys wrote.
The proposed protective order submitted by prosecutors, Trump’s attorneys wrote, “would severely hamper President Trump’s ability to publicly defend himself and prepare for trial.”
Prosecutors have cited Trump’s public attacks on Bragg and…
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