Judge Juan Merchan has put former President Donald Trump on notice that he could face jail time over the gag order in his New York “hush money” case. Merchan ruled that Trump has defied the order ten times already and imposed a $1,000 fine warning that future violations could result in incarceration.

According to MSNBC Merchan previously found Trump in contempt on nine violations in an April 30 ruling. The latest decision on Monday stems from separate alleged violations regarding statements about key witnesses Michael Cohen and David Pecker as well as comments about the jury.

While Merchan disagreed with the prosecution on the Cohen and Pecker statements he said Trump’s remarks about the jury in an April 22 interview called into question the integrity and legitimacy of the proceedings and raised concerns about the safety of the jurors and their loved ones.

Trump’s statement today.

The gag order is not just unconstitutional.

It is the epitome of election interference. pic.twitter.com/OaT0fRAtAM

— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) May 7, 2024

In the interview Trump said “The jury was picked so fast — 95% Democrats. The area’s mostly all Democrat. You think of it as a — just a purely Democrat area. It’s a very unfair situation that I can tell you.”

Merchan has ordered Trump to pay the maximum $1,000 fine and remove an “offending statement” from his Truth Social account. The judge noted that such penalties aren’t deterring Trump and that jail may be the next step for future violations “if appropriate and warranted.”

The warning comes as trial testimony continues in the case where Trump is accused of falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments.

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Again, there is no case, no legality for gag order. No proof/evidence of wrongdoings. The appellate courts need to step up and take action against these corrupt judges. He should be disbarred and… pic.twitter.com/jL7uUZFaIo

— 🕊 𝓐𝓷𝓷 𝓲𝓼 𝓡𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 🕊 𝐗𝐋𝐕 (@Ann_Lilyflower) May 7, 2024