The top line: The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal trial has fined him US$1,000 ($1,500) and held him in contempt of court for a 10th time for violating a gag order and warned that further violations could land the former US president in jail.
The bigger picture: Imprisonment would be an unprecedented step in the historic trial, which stems from an alleged hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 election.
The key quote: Donald Trump’s “continued, wilful” violations of the gag order amounted to a “direct attack on the rule of law” — Justice Juan Merchan.
What else to know: Merchan imposed the fine for a 22 April broadcast interview in which Trump said: “That jury was picked so fast — 95 per cent Democrats. The area’s mostly all Democrat.”
Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing.
What happens next: If found guilty, Trump could face up to four years in prison, though defendants typically face fines and probation.
The case features allegations of adultery and secret payoffs, but it is widely seen as less consequential than three other criminal prosecutions Trump faces. It is the only one certain to go to trial before the 5 November presidential election.