NY AG Letitia James petitions Supreme Court to not allow Missouri to bring suit against state over Trump conviction, gag order

New York Attorney General Letitia James has urged the Supreme Court to reject a request from Missouri AG Andrew Bailey to intervene in former President Donald Trump's court case, in which he was convicted of 34 felony counts of the falsification of business records, usually a misdemeanor in the state of New York. James argued against Missouri's appeal to pause Trump's sentencing hearing, set for September 18 after a postponement, and lift the gag order imposed on him.

Earlier in July, Missouri AG Andrew Bailey requested permission from the Supreme Court to file a complaint against New York, aiming to halt Trump's sentencing scheduled for September and lift the gag order. Bailey argued that New York's actions violated the rights of Missouri voters by restricting them from hearing from Trump, a presidential candidate.

James countered this argument in a 48-page filing on Wednesday, asserting that Missouri lacks a legal basis to seek intervention from the Supreme Court. She stated that this request “seriously undermines the integrity of the courts and risks setting a dangerous precedent that encourages a flood of similar, unmeritorious litigation.”

James contended that any relief should come from New York courts, not the Supreme Court. As the AG, however, who has been pursuing Trump since campaiging for the post, she is unlikely to attempt to resolve that.

“Allowing Missouri to file this suit for such relief against New York would permit an extraordinary and dangerous end-run around former President Trump’s ongoing state court proceedings and the statutory limitations on this Court’s jurisdiction to review state court decisions,” she claimed.

Additionally, James argued that Missouri does not have the standing required to bring the complaint forward, claiming, “The potential sentence and speech restrictions may prove no obstacle to the interests of people who wish to hear from former President Trump.” She went on to state that Missouri’s request was simply the state trying to “further the individual interests of former President Trump.

Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsification of business records. A current gag order prohibits Trump from speaking about the case, including mentioning the prosecutors, court staff, and their family members. His sentencing is scheduled for September 18 after a postponement due to the ruling from the Supreme Court on immunity.