Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers have been placed under a partial gag order by New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron following a wild day in court.
Engoron on Thursday blasted the former president's lawyers for attacking his staff, accusing attorney Chris Kise of sexism for his repeated jabs at law clerk Allison Greenfield.
"Do not refer to my staff again. She's a civil servant. She's doing what I ask her to do," state Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron told Kise in court. "I sometimes think there may be a bit of misogyny in you referring to my female principal law clerk."
"I assure you that's not the issue," fellow Trump lawyer Alina Habba said before complaining about Greenfield having improper influences over Engoron.
"I have an absolute unfettered right to get advice from my principal law clerk," Engoron retorted after slamming the table.
Trump has twice violated a gag order.
His lawyers are now subjects of one.
"The First Amendment right of defendants and their attorneys to comment on my staff is far and away outweighed by the need to protect them from threats and physical harm," Engoron wrote.
The order came "after defense lawyers made repeated objections about the working relationship between him and his principal law clerk, including suggestions that she was biased. Trump himself has also accused her of bias."
Information from Reuters was used in this report.