UNLIKELY ALLIES

ACLU Goes to Bat for Trump in Gag Order Fight

Chutkan paused the order last week to allow an appeals court to determine its necessity.

After filing hundreds of legal actions against Donald Trump’s White House, The American Civil Liberties Union is going to bat for the former president in his federal election interference case. The ACLU announced Wednesday that it filed a legal brief arguing the gag order issued by D.C District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan violates the First Amendment. The ACLU in particular took issue with the broad nature of the order, which Chutkan paused last week to allow an appeals court to determine its necessity. “No modern-day president did more damage to civil liberties and civil rights than President Trump, but if we allow his free speech rights to be abridged, we know that other unpopular voices — even ones we agree with — will also be silenced,” ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said in a statement. “As much as we disagreed with Donald Trump’s policies, everyone is entitled to the same First Amendment protection against gag orders that are too broad and too vague.”