The judge in Donald Trump's hush-money criminal case in New York, Juan M. Merchan, has expanded the former president's gag order after Trump launched a personal attack on the judge's daughter, Loren Merchan, who is a Democratic political consultant. Trump falsely claimed on his Truth Social platform that Loren Merchan was working to “Get Trump” and accused her of posting a photo of him behind bars. Prosecutors had urged Judge Merchan to clarify or expand the gag order, which now includes family members of court personnel. Trump's trial, scheduled to begin on April 15, involves allegations that he falsified payment records to cover up negative stories during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, and his lawyers argued that his comments were protected political campaign speech. Manhattan prosecutors have requested that Trump be sanctioned for violating the gag order by targeting the judge's daughter in his social media post. The protective order allows Trump to criticize the judge and the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, who charged him with falsifying records in the hush-money case.