Trump's hush money gag order stays in place after appeal

The big picture: Trump has repeatedly tried and failed to escape the gag order in the hush money case.

• During the trial, Judge Juan Merchan threatened Trump with jail time and fined him $10,000 following repeated violations of the order.
• However, Merchan lifted parts of the gag order in June, allowing Trump to comment on witnesses and the jury, while keeping other facets of the order in place through his sentencing.

State of play: The New York appeals court ruled that Merchan was right to extend parts of the gag order until the sentencing, writing that "the fair administration of justice necessarily includes sentencing," AP reported.

• Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's presidential campaign, said in a statement Thursday that Trump "continues to forcefully challenge" the partial gag order.
• "The gag order is blatantly un-American as it continues to gag President Trump, the leading candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election," Cheung added.

• As Trump's sentencing date draws closer, he is also seeking to dismiss his conviction in the case.

Flashback: Trump was convicted in May on all 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over an alleged sexual encounter.

Go deeper: Trump can bash witnesses from his N.Y. hush money trial under looser gag order

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a response from the Trump campaign.