Mongomery, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a 24-state coalition urging a district court in Florida to deny the Biden Department of Justice’s request for a gag order against former President Donald Trump. The coalition argues that the proposed gag order is unconstitutional and would unjustly silence Trump, who is a leading candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
The Department of Justice has requested a broad gag order prohibiting Trump from criticizing the raid on his Mar-a-Lago home. Critics, including Attorney General Marshall, argue that this move is an attempt by the Biden administration to use the courts to limit Trump’s free speech during a critical election period.
“The American people deserve to hear from the presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States on issues facing our country, including the Biden Administration’s possible misuse of law enforcement to target his political rivals. Biden’s requested gag order is a desperate and shocking attempt to silence Trump and skew the election,” said Attorney General Marshall. He further stated that the DOJ’s actions represent an unprecedented attack on Trump’s First Amendment rights and vowed to continue opposing what he described as a politically motivated prosecution.
The coalition’s letter to the court contends that the proposed gag order is ambiguous, infringes on Trump’s free speech rights, and interferes with the American public’s right to hear from their presidential candidate. The letter emphasizes that the court should deny the DOJ’s request to impose such a gag order.
The brief was co-led by the attorneys general of Iowa, Florida, and West Virginia, with additional support from Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
