Former President Donald Trump received a $5,000 fine on Friday for violating the gag order put in place by Judge Arthur Engoron to protect his staff and his courtroom’s proceedings.

$5000. What bullshit.

    • OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      It doesn’t mean every fine will be $5k, it’s a warning. The judge is saying it’s a serious gag order with consequences, $5k is probably the average fine for first violations.

      There was an open question about what the judge could do about violations of the gag order, it’s just impossible that an ex President goes to jail for violations of a gag order…I’d argue he’s not going regardless, but 100% not going for this. So we have an answer, there will be fines.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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        1 year ago

        If this is the sort of fine he’s going to get, he’ll violate it as often as he can. So this is either bait, or this judge is a fucking idiot.

        • tburkhol@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Crimes punished by fines only apply to poor people.

          But if the judge imposes a fine that would be meaningful to a “billionaire,” then he feeds the right-wing narrative of being on a vendetta against Trump. That’s an issue with all the prosecutions, and doubtless part of the reason he seems to get such kid-glove treatment.

        • atzanteol
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          1 year ago

          It’s not the sort of fine he will get. It’s the fine he’s getting for a first offense for a minor violation (this was something existing since before the gag that was left up).

          It’s a shot across the bow to show that the weapon is loaded and the judge will use it.

      • thepianistfroggollum@lemmynsfw.com
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        1 year ago

        Why is it impossible for an ex president to go to jail for contempt of court? He’s just a citizen, now, and a citizen would have their bail revoked.

        • OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          It’s not literally legally impossible, but the logistics of dealing with Secret Service protection for someone in prison make it extremely difficult, plus it’s obviously unprecedented to put a former president in jail, and the added complication of it being the primary competition to the sitting president in the next election.

          There are a lot of reasons a judge would want to avoid prison, specifically. And the system is set up such that if there are circumstances where there’s a good reason to avoid prison for a certain person, there are alternative punishments like fines or house arrest.

        • variaatio@sopuli.xyz
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          1 year ago

          But verbal warning is different thing as to a legal ruling and actual punishment action, actual real consequences and not just a strongly worded letter. Yeah 5k is meaningless for him, but it demonstrates punishment clauses can be used. Thinking is “this should make him/his lawyers read rest of the punishment scale and that should deter him”.

          If it doesn’t, stronger punishments will be applied.

          • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            My point is that this is piddling and should have been the first or second step, not seventh. At this rate we’re about 200 more incidents away from house arrest.

    • stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      It’s symbolic at this point. That number will go up and eventually jail will come into the picture. We know that Trump can’t help himself, so this is going to escalate pretty quickly in front of us.

      • Igloojoe@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Eventually jail… No it wont. No faith in the courts to do what is needed.

        • stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          Contempt of court can easily land you in jail and that is time that would never be counted towards your eventual sentence. Rather, it is punishment for pissing off a judge, which is always a bad idea. Judges are basically gods and can do anything the hell they want as long as it is within the laws and standard regulations.

          The Chicago 7 is an example. The judge was personally biased and actually threw a defense lawyer into jail under contempt charges then made the defendant appear without representation. Judge eventually put away half a dozen people for months at a time under the excuse of contempt:

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Seven

          ETA: The judge in that case was such an asshat that all convictions of all persons were overturned by the court of appeals. But, it didn’t stop him from ruining lives.

          • Igloojoe@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            I wasnt saying the charge wont. I’m saying that no judge would throw Trump in jail. Because of the political shitshow it would cause.

    • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
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      It’s marginally less meaningless than the consequences he has faced so far, which have been literally nothing.

      I’ll take a fine over nothing. Keep it coming.

    • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Especially since he won’t even pay it like all his bills, which somehow rich people get away with regularly