Suspended jail sentence is the way to go

[senseandsensibility]

and I hope Judge Merchan is considering it. It seems as though he is very reluctant to jail the defendant and this would be a way to avoid it for now. When the trial is over, the heat will be off the jury and witnesses at least, and he can do what needs to be done.

If he puts the fool in jail now , it's not going to be Riker's or even an overnight stay. But even if it's just "time out" in the jail behind the courthouse the freak will act as though he's Nelson Mandela and cause even more uproar and delay.

I hope he's considering a suspended sentence that he can keep adding to as the trial progresses.

[global1]

1. If He's Found 'Not Guilty' - Would He Still Have To Serve Jail Time For Violating The Gag Order If.....

jail time is suspended?

After all - he violated the gag order during the trial proceedings.

Just because he might be found 'not guilty' in the trial - it doesn't mean that he wasn't guilty during the trial for violating the gag order.

[senseandsensibility]

5. Good question

I think so

[brush]

8. Isn't this post about gag order punishment of a few hours in the courthouse...

jail cell, not a gulty verdict in the trial and thus jail time or suspended sentence for if found guilty?

[Irish_Dem]

26. He violated the gag order.

Has nothing to do with the outcome of the trial.

[bdamomma]

47. If he's not found guilty???

I'm hoping he IS found guilty.

[FHRRK]

2. I prefer a sentence in a suspended jail

Off a mountain, building, overpass, any is acceptable to me.

[Chainfire]

28. Or suspended in a jail. ;)

[Lucky Luciano]

34. Indeed!

[brush]

3. There is a jail cell in the courthouse that the judge would use.

You know he's talking about hours there not days in Rikers.

[senseandsensibility]

7. Yes, I said that

in the OP.

[brush]

11. Some posters don't seem to know that and are mention time in Rikers...

being suspended.

[Shermann]

21. The Russians put the jail cells right in the courtrooms! nt

[ancianita]

33. There is a door to a holding cell at the rear of Merchan's courtroom.

Criminal courts have those. Rikers won't be where tsf goes.

[tinrobot]

4. Nah... that bully needs to be put in his place. Jail him.

I find bullies often only respond when they're put in their place by something bigger than them.

Our court system is bigger than him. Let's make that perfectly clear to him and the rest of his cult.

[senseandsensibility]

9. You do have a point

[FarPoint]

6. I have shared this thought before....

Make him serve jail time after trial completed and jury makes a verdict ...

[struggle4progress]

13. No: the object is to keep him from intimidating people during the trial

[marble falls]

10. Wrong. He's lived a life where whatever consequences he's faced has always been minimal ...

... he needs to be jailed and as often as he pipes up. He needs consequences he can't soften.

[struggle4progress]

12. An hour in jail after court adjourns for the week

Eight hours in jail some day when the court is in recess

Twelve hours in jail some day when the court is in recess

Overnight in jail after court adjourns for the week

Twenty four hours in jail after court adjourns for the week

Forty eight hours in jail after court adjourns for the week ...

Etc

[tinrobot]

14. Three days in jail for the first infraction.

A week for the second.

A month for the third.

[struggle4progress]

24. Not going to happen and politically ineffective

Let Donnie and his lawyers whine about a "show him the cell" and the takeaway of his belt and shoelaces and tie

Turn up the heat slowly with lots of "Do you understand the gag order yet?" dialog with the judge

Get his lawyers involved: "Are you unable to restrain your client?"

[tinrobot]

27. Politically ineffective? The judge is required to be non-political

The judge's job here is simple - keep the defendant from interfering with the case. Putting him in a holding pen for an hour does not solve for that.

[struggle4progress]

30. Courts have never been apolitical

"No matther whether th' constitution follows th' flag or not, th' supreme coort follows th' iliction returns.”

― Finley Peter Dunne, Mr. Dooley's Opinions

[Think. Again.]

18. Remand him to the court jailroom during any breaks or recesses in the trial, including meal times....

...between the hours that the courthouse opens and closes?

[Think. Again.]

15. You make a good point about keeping the trial running smoothly...

...by avoiding the theatrics of jailing him now.

But in the bigger picture, he is being found in contempt of court, he is continuing his contemptuous behavior despite the court's response without showing any remorse, and in an equal justice system, he should be treated as anyone acting that way would be,
regardless of any other circumstances.

[senseandsensibility]

17. Yes, I struggle with this too

If I were the judge, he would have been sentenced already. He certainly deserves it. But this judge seems extremely reluctant, and instead of constant threats or really lame sessions for an hour or two in the courthouse jail, I think the suspended sentence would be better.

[Think. Again.]

20. It's a good plan...

..but another option might be what I suggested below, to remand him to the courthouse jail during any periods that his trial is not actively in session, including mealtimes, between the hours that the courthouse opens for business in the morning and closes in the evening on days that his trial is being heard.

The number of weeks that is in effect could be dependent on the number of times he breaks the gag order.

[Emile]

16. I want him to show up for trial after spending the

night in Rikers. No orange makeup on and no one to help him do his comb over.

[senseandsensibility]

19. Combover or hairpiece?

That is the question.

[JoseBalow]

40. There's no question, it's a shitty combover

[Shermann]

22. Fresh fish! nt

[Demobrat]

46. I'd be happy if he spent the night

Last edited Mon May 6, 2024, 10:41 PM - Edit history (1)

in the holding cell at the courthouse, as long as he had to show up for court the next morning without his makeup on. I honestly think that would break him.

[Runningdawg]

23. Again, the answer is so simple - HOUSE ARREST court and back, nowhere else.

The SS won't need to change a thing, except preventing him from leaving. And yes. Put on monitor on his ankle.
You wan't to get to Trump? Leash that dog.

[FakeNoose]

35. Yes - house arrest with no access to media or internet, no phone, no tweets, no interviews

That'll do it.

[AllaN01Bear]

25. i hope the meter is running as i am loosing patience .

[wolfie001]

29. Bring back The Pillory!!!

[llmart]

41. Wouldn't that be the best?

Let the public walk by and throw rotten eggs and tomatoes at his ugly combover.

[Captain Zero]

31. GREAT IDEA AND..... make him sign a behavior contract.

Make him sign a behavior contract. Like he is a fourth grader.
He will know what that is, he saw them in Reform school.

For each day he comports himself like a gentleman in court and obeys the gag order remove one day from the jail time.

For each day he violates the gag order, add a day.

Tell him he has the power to control his fate. If there are days of contempt of court at the end of his trial, he will go to jail for that many days. But he still has a chance to earn back his freedom after the trial, like a good little boy.

[OAITW r.2.0]

32. HWPDI .... how would Putin do it?

Trump is lucky Joe Biden doesn't think like Donald Trump.

[nowforever]

36. Lock him up now

Then give him a buzz cut and no diaper changes prior to next court hearing. He's such a coward he won't utter a word now that will violate gag order.

[BWdem4life]

37. How about tar and feathers?

[Torchlight]

38. I kinda think you're right on this

I hadn't considered a suspended sentence, but I guess it would mollify all involved to a degree (but no one party to 100%). It puts the onus of responsibility back onto trump, and allows him the room to continue his increasingly consequential actions, thus hangng himself (all other things being equal). His act is getting really old, really fast in reagrds to the trial; his numbers are going down daily, his clownish-charisma is taking a beating, GOP is showing is showing a little more (repeat: little) backbone calling him out, and I just get the sense the nation's kinda over him, finding him cringey, and pretty much just want the guy gone.

I've got a pal I've known since middle school who voted for trump in round 1. About 18 months ago he told me, "no way. not again." Told me he looks at his vote for trump they way he and I look at our younger 13 year old selves thinking Mama's Family was the apex of television comedy; a little shamed by it now, kinda embarassed to admit, would joke about it if it weren't so bad. Don't even wanna think about it.

I get it.

[JoseBalow]

39. Fuck that

Strip search him and throw his ass in a filthy Rikers cell for the night, meals included.

[Dan]

42. I feel sorry for the Secret Service, but put his ass in Riker's general population. Trump is tough,

He's a man's man, he can handle it. He's always talking tough on the stage - put his ass in population, let him throw some hands.

[nakocal]

43. If Trump is not jailed

one of his followers will kill someone as Trump will not stop. And fines mean nothing as Trump's fucking stupid supporters are the people paying the fines.

[Ford_Prefect]

44. I suspect the Secret Service has made the Judge aware of what their needs are for tRumps personal safety.

However, when confinement happens it will be within the Judge's purview and under his authority. I am sure there is an appropriate location already prepared.

It seems very clear that Merchan is doing everything he can to avoid being overturned on appeal, hence the detailed and specific handling of DJT and his lawyers.

[Silent3]

45. How much jury and court staff intimidation is too much? How does a suspended sentence stop that?

Trump shouldn't be able to essentially buy as much intimidation as he's willing to pay for, either in money or jail time.

Besides punishing Trump for violating the gag order, jail time STOPS FURTHER THE VIOLATIONS for as long as Trump is in jail.

A suspended sentence can't stop any of the intimidation that's happening during the trial.

The judge needs to find a way to make the violations STOP. The only reasonable next thing to try is jail time NOW.

Trump can't violate the gag order while in jail. If he doesn't learn his lesson in jail for a short time, he should be stuck in jail until the trial is done, shuttled back and forth from jail house to courtroom.

[elocs]

48. These kinds of thread are great for DUers because it gives them an opportunity to fantasize

about Trump being in some kind of jail. It really is a wet dream here.
Myself, I won't believe it will happen until it happens. Even if found guilty, the appeals could go on for years and then when the time comes when he could go to prison it would likely be better accommodations than most of us know in our daily lives.
What about a suspended sentence? A bomb shelter would be needed for the exploding heads.

But every day that Trump is forced to be in court now when he has only known being able to do as he pleases is already a jail for him. Take what you can get because he may get the last laugh and just die quietly in his sleep. Life is not fair, it just is what it is.