The Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by Missouri challenging New York’s legal action against former President Donald Trump, delivering their decision on Monday.
July saw Missouri’s Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, initiate legal proceedings against New York. Bailey’s suit claimed that the state’s legal actions against Trump infringed on the First Amendment rights of Missouri’s citizens, specifically their right to receive messages from a potential 2024 presidential contender. However, the Supreme Court opted not to entertain Missouri’s complaint, consequently rejecting their petition for immediate judicial relief.
The court disclosed that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito were in favor of allowing Missouri to present its case, albeit without extending any further relief.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey expressed his dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court’s decision on X, stating, “It’s disappointing that the Supreme Court refused to exercise its constitutional responsibility to resolve state v. state disputes. I will continue to prosecute our lawsuit against @KamalaHarris @JoeBiden’s DOJ for coordinating the illicit prosecutions against President Trump.” His remarks underline his commitment to challenging what he perceives as undue legal actions against Trump.
Missouri’s filed lawsuit asserted that the Constitution would have condemned any effort by a future Confederate state to muzzle Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and undermine his Presidential campaign, drawing parallels to New York’s current use of a gag order and impending sentencing as means to disrupt Donald Trump’s campaign activities.
In related developments, former President Donald Trump, who appeared before the Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4, 2023, was convicted by a Manhattan jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Judge Juan Merchan has only partially lifted the gag order imposed on Trump, allowing him some liberty to speak but restraining him from criticizing the prosecutors in Bragg’s office. Despite a recent trial completion, an appeal to completely lift the gag order was denied last week by a New York appeals court.
Trump faced allegations of violating the gag order ten times during his trial from Judge Merchan. His sentencing, originally scheduled for July, has been postponed to September 18, following a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, delaying the process.
