In May, columnist E. Jean Carroll was awarded $5 million after a New York jury found that she was defamed and sexually abused by former President Donald Trump

According to The Hill, the judge who presided over Carroll's case has decided that names of jurors will be kept secret. 

Judge fears Trump will attempt to single out jurors

In a ruling released this past Friday, Judge Lewis Kaplan pointed to Trump’s "repeated public statements" concerning Carroll.

What's more, he also noted that Trump has a history of publicly commenting on those involved with his criminal prosecutions.

Judge rules jury will be kept anonymous in Trump, E. Jean Carroll defamation case https://t.co/VLd3thNPou

— The Hill (@thehill) November 4, 2023

"In view of Mr. Trump’s repeated public statements with respect to the plaintiff and court in this case as well as in other cases against him, and the extensive media coverage that this case already has received and that is likely to increase once the trial is imminent or underway, the Court finds that there is strong reason to believe the jury requires the protections" of anonymity, Kaplan wrote.

Gag order in New York civil case expanded to cover Trump's lawyers

This is not the first time that a judge has taken steps to limit Trump's ability to criticize people associated with one of his legal cases.

Judge Arthur Engoron is overseeing Trump's civil fraud trial in New York, and Fox News reported late last month that he imposed a $10,000 fine against the former president for attacking his clerk, something Trump denied doing.

The penalty came not long after Engoron fined Trump $5,000 and threatened him with jail time over a social media post that remained up on his campaign website.

What's more, the blog Law & Crime reported this past Friday that Engoron expanded his gag order to also cover Trump's lawyers.

Gag order in DC case temporarily lifted

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan also imposed a gag order on Trump limiting what he can say in his trial over actions following the 2020 election.

Yet Fox News reported that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily lifted the order last week in response to a filing from Trump's lawyers.

"No court in American history has imposed a gag order on a criminal defendant who is actively campaigning for public office — let alone the leading candidate for President of the United States," the attorneys wrote in their filing on Thursday.

"The Gag Order violates the First Amendment rights of President Trump and over 100 million Americans who listen to him," they added.