Justice Merchan Holds Trump in Contempt for Violating Gag Order

Donald J. Trump repeatedly attacked witnesses and the jury in social media posts.

The judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s criminal case in Manhattan held him in contempt on Tuesday and fined him $9,000, punishing the former president for repeatedly violating a gag order that bars him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors and jurors.

The judge, Juan M. Merchan, determined that Mr. Trump had broken the gag order by making several public statements on social media and on his campaign website in which he attacked witnesses and the jury.

The judge’s ruling and admonition came one week after a fiery hearing in which prosecutors argued Mr. Trump’s statements posed a “threat” to the trial and one of Mr. Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche, claimed that the former president had not violated the order. In a stinging chastisement, Justice Merchan faulted Mr. Blanche for failing to marshal facts or legal precedent in support of Mr. Trump, the first American president to face criminal prosecution.

“You’ve presented nothing,” Justice Merchan remarked as he scolded Mr. Blanche for not substantively addressing the prosecution’s effort to hold Mr. Trump in contempt.

The judge’s ruling marked a nadir in relations between the court and Mr. Trump, who stands accused of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal involving a porn star. Mr. Trump has been at the trial every day, though he has largely been relegated to the sidelines, complaining to cameras afterward about the gag order and the judge. But now, with the penalty — and the specter of further punishment, including the potential for jail time — his fury could reach a boiling point.

Already, prosecutors have alerted to the judge to four new potential violations. Those were not covered by Justice Merchan’s order and will be discussed at another hearing, which will be held on Thursday morning.