BREAKING: New York Court of Appeals declines to hear Trump's appeal of gag order in Bragg case

New York’s Court of Appeals on Tuesday declined to hear Donald Trump’s appeal of the gag order still in place following his guilty conviction in Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s falsified business records case. According to the Associated Press, the top court in the state said that "no substantial constitutional question is directly involved" with the gag order in place and it did not warrant immediate intervention.

The gag order has remained in place ahead of Trump’s July 11 sentencing in the case. In late May, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. The gag order was put in place on March 26 ahead of the trial’s April start date. Trump’s attorneys had filed a notice of appeal with the Court of Appeals on May 15, arguing that the gag order violated Trump’s "core political speech on matters of central importance at the height of his Presidential campaign."

Bragg’s office urged the court to reject the appeal, with prosecutors stating in a letter that whether the order should be lifted should be dealt with in post-trial court filings.

Days after the verdict in the case, Trump’s lawyers sent a letter to Judge Juan Merchan asking that the gag order be lifted. They followed up on the request in a formal motion last week. Prosecutors have until Thursday to respond and MErchan is reportedly expected to rule on the issue soon after, possibly before the June 27 debate between Trump and Biden.