Judge Chutkan will hear arguments in protective order fight in Trump's 2020 election conspiracy case

The federal judge overseeing the 2020 election conspiracy case against Donald Trump will hear arguments Friday over a request by prosecutors for a protective order seeking to bar the former president from publicly disclosing evidence shared by the government.

The protective order sought by special counsel Jack Smith’s team has become an early flashpoint in the case accusing the Republican of illegally scheming to subvert the will of voters and cling to power after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Protective orders aren’t unusual in criminal cases, and they’re different from “gag orders” that bar parties from talking publicly about an ongoing case outside the courtroom. But lawyers for Trump — who has railed against prosecutors and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on social media and during campaign events ~ say the proposed protective order goes too far and would restrict Trump’s free speech rights.

In seeking the protective order, prosecutors pointed to a post on Trump’s Truth Social social media platform in which the former president promised he would be “coming after” those who “go after” him. Prosecutors expressed concern that Trump might share secret grand jury information that could have a “harmful chilling effect on witnesses.”