An appeals court in New York on Thursday reinstated a gag order that banned the former president

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Trump declined to comment on court staff after discrediting a clerk in his civil fraud case in New York.

The decision by a four-judge panel came two weeks after an individual appellate judge stayed the order while the appeal process was ongoing.

Judge Arthur Engoron imposed the silence order in October. 3 after Trump posted a derogatory comment about the judge’s clerk on social media. The post, which contained a baseless accusation about the clerk’s personal life, came on the second day of the trial in New York.

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Letitia James lawsuit.

James claims Trump has exaggerated his wealth based on financial statements used to secure loans and close deals. Trump, a Republican, denies any wrongdoing.

Engoron later found Trump $15,000 for violating the silence order and extended it to his lawyers after questioning Clerk Allison Greenfield’s prominent role on the bench, where she sits next to the judge, exchanging notes and advising him during testimony.

Trump’s lawyers filed a lawsuit against Engoron, challenging his gag order as an abuse of power. They sued under a state law known as Section 78, which allows lawsuits over certain court decisions.