Appeals court reinstates gag order on Trump in N.Y. civil fraud trial

State of play: New York Judge Arthur Engoron issued the limited order in October after the former president made a post on his Truth Social account about the judge's law clerk.

• The order bars Trump and his attorneys from disparaging court staff.
• The New York appeals court earlier this month temporarily halted the gag order at the former president's request. He then proceeded to attack Engoron and the clerk on Truth Social.

Zoom in: Court officials in a filing last week said that following Trump's social media post, "threats, harassment and disparaging comments increased exponentially" against Engoron and his law clerk.

• Lawyers for Trump argued in a subsequent filing that any threats received do not justify the order.

The big picture: Trump also faces a gag order in his federal 2020 election subversion case.

• That order is currently on pause as a panel of federal judges weighs its merit.

What to watch: The former president is expected to take the stand next month as the final witness in the trial.

• At stake in the ongoing trial are possible steep financial penalties against Trump and his family's business empire.
• New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a $250 million lawsuit against Trump, his two eldest sons and his business last fall, alleging years of financial fraud.

Editor's note: This story was updated with additional information.