Judge Finds Trump in Contempt Again and Threatens Jail Time

Key Facts

Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times * May 6, 2024Updated 11:05 a.m. ET The judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan rebuked the former president on Monday for mounting “a direct attack on the rule of law,” holding him in contempt of court for a second time and threatening to jail him if he continued to break a gag order that bars him from attacking jurors.
In a moment of remarkable courtroom drama, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, addressed Mr. Trump personally from the bench, saying that if there were further violations, he might bypass financial penalties and place the former president behind bars.
It was the second time in two weeks that Mr. Trump had been punished for breaking the gag order, which also bars him from attacking prosecutors, witnesses and others.
Alan Feuer covers extremism and political violence for The Times, focusing on the criminal cases involving the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and against former President Donald J. Trump.