Roger Stone, President Trump’s indicted former election campaign adviser, was rebuffed Tuesday in his bid to lift a court order banning him from posting on social media platforms.
A federal appeals court in D.C. denied a petition filed on behalf of Mr. Stone and his family that sought to vacate a lower court’s gag order barring the strategist from using social media.
In a 16-page opinion rejecting the request, a panel of the appeals court said Mr. Stone and his relatives “failed to avail themselves of adequate alternative remedies.”
Bruce Rogow, an attorney representing Mr. Stone in the case, told The Washington Times that he was “disappointed” in the appeals court’s ruling.
Mr. Stone, 67, was indicted in January in connection with allegedly interfering in the federal government’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty to related counts and is free on bond pending trial, albeit unable to use social media services as a consequence of the gag order in question.
U.S. District Court Amy Berman Jackson, the judge presiding over Mr. Stone’s upcoming criminal trial, warned him in February against making statements that pose a likelihood of prejudicing his case. Mr. Stone posted on image on Instagram several days later that depicted crosshairs next to the judge’s head, prompting her to respond by ordering him not to comment at all on social media about matters related to his trial.
Prosecutors subsequently learned of several further violations, resulting in the judge outright banning Mr. Stone in July from sharing content to “Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other form of social media.”
Mr. Stone and his family failed to establish that no adequate alternative remedy exists to challenge the gag order, the appeals court ruled in denying their petition.
Mr. Stone’s trial is currently set to begin on Nov. 5 in Washington, D.C.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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