Jack Smith, a former assistant United States attorney and current associate professor at Georgetown Law, has requested that a judge block President Donald Trump from making “partisan political attacks” during a trial in which he is a party. Smith is part of a team of attorneys representing Republican leaders in Pennsylvania who are challenging the state’s election results.
While the motion is sure to be denied because the court is bound by the First Amendment, Smith argued in the filing that President Trump’s attacks could prejudice the jury and disrupt the proceedings. Smith also pointed out that the President has a history of making “inflammatory and partisan” remarks on the topic of electoral outcomes.
Smith, who is also an election law expert, cited a precedent set in an unrelated case in Virginia earlier this year. In that case, the judge blocked Trump and anyone acting on his behalf from making “inflammatory statements” about the case or its witnesses.
