Judge temporarily blocks publication of Mary Trump book

A judge in New York on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks President Trump’s niece Mary Trump from publishing her tell-all book.

The order from Judge Hal Greenwald of Dutchess County Supreme Court represents a win for Robert Trump, the president’s brother, in attempting to block the publication of the book, which is said to contain damaging allegations about the Trump family.

The judge in Dutchess County temporarily blocked the publication of the book on Tuesday while arguments in the case continue, ordering Mary Trump and her publisher, Simon & Schuster, or their attorneys, to appear in court on July 10.

Robert Trump had previously attempted to block the publication of the book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” in Queens County Surrogate Court but a judge dismissed it last week on jurisdictional grounds.

Ted Boutrous, Mary Trump’s attorney, said they would immediately appeal the order, calling it a violation of the First Amendment.

“The trial court’s temporary restraining order is only temporary but it still is a prior restraint on core political speech that flatly violates the First Amendment.  We will immediately appeal,” Boutrous said. “This book, which addresses matters of great public concern and importance about a sitting president in an election year, should not be suppressed even for one day.”

Attorneys for Simon & Schuster Tuesday afternoon filed a notice of appeal.

Robert Trump has argued that Mary Trump would be violating a nondisclosure agreement by publishing the book. The NDA was signed by Mary Trump, the president and other members of the Trump family as part of the settlement following litigation over the estate of the president’s father, Fred Trump.

President Trump told Axios earlier this month that his niece was “not allowed to write a book.”

Charles Harder, an attorney for Robert Trump, said in a statement Tuesday that his client is “very pleased” with the injunction.

“We look forward to vigorously litigating this case, and will seek the maximum remedies available by law for the enormous damages caused by Mary Trump’s breach of contract and Simon & Schuster’s intentional interference with that contract,” Harder said. “Short of corrective action to immediately cease their egregious conduct, we will pursue this case to the very end.”

The book is slated to be released on July 28.

Simon & Schuster described the book on its website as a “revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him.” The publisher goes on to say that Mary Trump, “a trained clinical psychologist and Donald’s only niece, shines a bright light on the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world’s health, economic security, and social fabric.”

Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton is also facing a legal challenge over his tell-all revealing details of his time in the White House. The administration sued him in federal court alleging that his manuscript contained classified information that violated nondisclosure agreements Bolton signed. 

Earlier this month, a judge rejected the government’s request for an injunction against the book being published ahead of its release last week but suggested that Bolton is at risk of losing the case.

Harper Neidig contributed. Updated at 2:18 p.m.