The full appeals court denies Trump's request to end the silence order in the election case

The full federal appeals court in Washington on Tuesday rejected former President Donald J. Trump's bid to lift a silence order imposed on him in the criminal case accusing him of trying to undermine the results of the 2020 election .

The short statementissued on behalf of the eleven judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, leaves Mr. Trump only the option of appealing to the Supreme Court if he wants to continue fighting the silence order, which limits his options. to publicly criticize certain people involved in the legal proceedings.

D. John Sauer, a lawyer for Mr. Trump who is handling appeals, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Peter Carr, spokesman for Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing Mr. Trump's federal prosecution, declined to comment.

The dispute is one of several extraordinary legal battles arising from the cases against Mr. Trump. It has pitted the First Amendment rights of a former president and the leading 2024 Republican presidential candidate against fears that his hostile rhetoric aimed at people involved in the case could incite supporters to acts of violence.

The judge overseeing the election case, Tanya S. Chutkan of Federal District Court, first imposed a silence order on Trump in October. It prevented him from making public statements attacking witnesses and specific prosecutors or court staff — but not himself — in the case. Mr. Trump appealed, saying the order violated his First Amendment rights.

In December, a three-judge panel of the appeals court upheld the order but limited its terms, including allowing him to attack one of his top targets: Mr. Smith, the special prosecutor. Mr. Trump then asked the full D.C. Circuit to intervene and rehear the case, seeking a further narrowing or elimination of the order.

In their unsigned order Tuesday, the court's 11 full-time judges did not issue a written opinion. The order merely stated that none of the justices had requested a vote on the issue.

The D.C. Circuit includes seven appointees of Democratic presidents and four of Republican presidents, three of whom — Gregory G. Katsas, Neomi Rao and Justin R. Walker — were appointed by Mr. Trump. The fourth Republican candidate, Karen L. Henderson, who was put on the court by President George HW Bush, has voted in favor of Trump in several other legal disputes.

Judge Henderson, along with two of President Biden's appointees, is also part of a three-judge panel examining a separate issue arising from the election case: Mr. Trump's claim that he is immune from charges for the actions he has undertaken to overturn the 2020 election results while he was president.

That panel heard arguments in that case on Jan. 9, and there is no deadline for the justices to rule. As a senior judge on the panel, Judge Henderson has the right to write the judgment if she is in the majority. If Mr Trump were to lose, it is expected he would continue to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Judge Chutkan had scheduled the trial start date for March 4, but paused the preliminary proceedings due to Mr. Trump's appeal of his immunity claim. Mr. Trump has often adopted a strategy of delaying lawsuits, and if he becomes president again before any trial, he could use his executive powers to end the federal cases against him.