Former President Trump received his sternest warning yet from Judge Juan Merchan after violating a gag order for the 10th time, resulting in a $1,000 fine and a clear indication that future infractions could lead to incarceration.
Despite partial wins in court, Trump faces mounting consequences for his repeated breaches, especially regarding statements targeting jurors and key witnesses in his ongoing criminal trial.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to provide context, commentary and analysis on this matter. If you would like to speak to an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Tayah Frye at [email protected].
Law
Stephen A Saltzburg, Wallace and Beverley Woodbury University Professor of Law; Co-director of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program at the George Washington University Law School. Professor Saltzburg is an expert on evidence, procedure and litigation. Professor Saltzburg has held numerous governmental positions and continues to serve as a mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals for DC. Additionally, Saltzburg is one of the leading voices on Trump’s criminal trials and manner.
Catherine Ross is the Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. She specializes in constitutional law (with particular emphasis on the First Amendment) and family law. Professor Ross' book A Right to Lie? Presidents, Other Liars, and the First Amendment (University of Pennsylvania Press) was published in November 2021. Her last book, Lessons in Censorship: How Schools and Courts Subvert Students' First Amendment Rights (Harvard University Press, 2015) was named the Best Book on the First Amendment by Concurring Opinions’ First Amendment News; it also won the Critics’ Choice Book Award from the American Education Studies Association. Professor Ross is a co-author of Contemporary Family Law (West Academic), First Edition (2006) through the latest Fifth Edition (2019).
Campaigns/Politics
Todd Belt is the director of the Political Management Program at the GW Graduate School of Political Management. Belt is an expert on the presidency, campaigns and elections, mass media and politics, public opinion, and political humor. In addition to his expertise, Belt is co-author of four books and helps to run GW’s political poll, which recently shared new findings.
Peter Loge is the director of GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs. He has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications, having served as a deputy to the chief of staff for Sen. Edward Kennedy during the 1995 shutdown, a VP at the US Institute of Peace in 2013, and held senior positions for three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Loge currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs and continues to advise advocates and organizations.
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