A federal judge has criticized Donald Trump over the former president's attacks against the daughter of the judge overseeing his upcoming criminal trial in New York.
U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Reggie Walton, who was nominated to the bench in 2001 by President George W. Bush, reacted to Trump lashing out at Judge Juan Merchan.
Merchan is presiding over the former president's falsifying business records trial where the Republican has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges. Trump also attacked Merchan's daughter in social media posts.
Trump has posted twice about Loren Merchan on Truth Social, the social media platform where the former president has more than 6.8 million followers, including calling her a "Rabid Trump Hater, who has admitted to having conversations with her father about me."
Trump's attacks came after Judge Merchan issued a gag order ahead of the former president's April 15 hush money trial. The order was to prevent Trump from publicly speaking about court staff, jurors, potential witnesses and lawyers from the Manhattan district attorney's office, or their families.
Trump's legal team has been contacted for comment via email.
Speaking to CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Walton said that any attack on a judge is "particularly problematic" when they can be considered a threat, especially if they're directed at their family.
"We do these jobs because we're committed to the rule of law and we believe in the rule of law. The rule of law can only function effectively when we have judges who are prepared to carry out their duties without the threat of potential physical harm," Walton said.
Walton, who has presided over cases related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said he and his daughter have also received threats, including one person who called him and said they know where the judge lives.
"You can't let that impact on how you live your life, and how you treat litigants who are before you," Walton said. "Even though threats may be made against you and your family, you still have an obligation to ensure that everybody who comes into your courtroom is treated fairly, regardless of who they are or what they've done.
"But nonetheless, it is very troubling, because it is an attack on the rule of law when judges are threatened, and particularly, when their family is threatened. And it's something that's wrong and should not happen."
When asked if Trump's online attacks against the judge and his family will result in real-life harm, Walton suggested that "any reasonable thinking person" would appreciate that people could resonate with their words.
"That's particularly true when you have somebody who has status in our society, and they make certain statements, it can cause people to act on those statements, even if they don't necessarily intend for someone to do so," Walton said.
"So I think it's very important that people in positions of authority, be very circumspect in reference to the things that they say, so that they're not causing others to act on what they say and maybe cause injury or death to someone as a result of that."
In another attack on Judge Merchan's daughter, Trump referenced an account on X, formerly Twitter, to suggest that her "obvious goal" is to see him in jail.
The account, which posted a mocked-up image of Trump behind bars, no longer belongs to Loren Merchan, and appears to have been taken over by someone after she deleted it last year, the New York's state court system said.
The account "is not linked to her email address, nor has she posted under that screenname since she deleted the account," court spokesperson Al Baker said in a statement. "Rather, it represents the reconstitution, last April, and manipulation of an account she long ago abandoned."
Trump was previously fined a total of $15,000 for twice violating a gag order imposed on him by Judge Arthur Engoron during his civil fraud case. Trump was later fined $354 million, rising to $454 with interest, for filing fraudulent financial statements that inflated the value of his properties and assets for years.
A New York appeals court agreed on March 25 to hold off collection of Trump's $454 million civil fraud penalty if he puts down $175 million within 10 days instead.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
