Jul 13, 2020 - Politics & Policy
Judge lifts restraining order on Mary Trump on eve of book release
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Photo: Simon & Schuster
A New York judge on Monday lifted the temporary restraining order that had prevented Mary Trump from publicly discussing a tell-all book set to be released July 14 about her uncle, President Trump.
Why it matters: Mary Trump, a trained psychologist, portrays the president as a dangerous sociopath and alleges in her book that Donald Trump's sister Maryanne had concerns about her brother's fitness for office, among other things.
- The president's younger brother Robert Trump filed a lawsuit against their niece, the daughter of their deceased elder brother Fred Trump Jr., to prevent the tell-all book from being published.
- However, the restraining order did not apply to publisher Simon & Schuster, which planned to go ahead with publication regardless of the lawsuit. The judge's decision will now allow Mary Trump to do interviews promoting the book.
What they're saying:
"The court got it right in rejecting the Trump family’s effort to squelch Mary Trump’s core political speech on important issues of public concern. The First Amendment forbids prior restraints because they are intolerable infringements on the right to participate in democracy. Tomorrow, the American public will be able to read Mary’s important words for themselves."— Mary Trump's attorney Ted Boutrous
"Notwithstanding that the Book has been published and distributed in great quantities, to enjoin Mary L. Trump at this juncture would be incorrect and serve no purpose. It would be moot. ... To quote United States v. Bolton, 2020, 'By the looks of it the horse is not just out of the barn, it is out of the country.'"— Judge Hal Greenwald, in his decision on Monday
Go deeper: Highlights from Mary Trump's explosive tell-all book
