gag order

noun

Definition of gag order

: a judicial ruling barring public disclosure or discussion (as by the press) of information related to a case broadly : a similar nonjudicial prohibition against the release of confidential information or against public discussion of a sensitive matter

Examples of gag order in a Sentence

The judge has issued a gag order.

Recent Examples on the Web

During a 12-minute hearing, state District Judge Tammy Kemp quizzed attorneys about the leaking of Guyger's 911 call after the shooting despite a gag order. — Jennifer Emily, Dallas News, "Fired Dallas officer Amber Guyger appears in court for murder case in fatal shooting of Botham Jean," 6 June 2019 Joe Rice, a South Carolina attorney representing local governments and other entities in the litigation, would not talk about the impasses between his clients and the defendants, citing a gag order the judge imposed regarding settlement talks. — Eric Heisig, cleveland.com, "Judge trying to settle opioid lawsuits says trials may be possible to overcome hurdles in talks," 11 July 2017 This flight of fancy resulted in an almost complete gag order placed on the wildly loquacious Stone. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: “I Think My Language is Very Nice”," 24 Feb. 2019 All officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a Hamas gag order. — Fares Akram, The Seattle Times, "Palestinians offer new details of Israel’s botched Gaza raid," 12 Dec. 2018 The prosecutors also suggested they were concerned Ms. Butina’s lawyers might have pressured her to plead guilty, which would end the prosecution and thereby avoid any sanctions from the judge for violating the gag order. — Byron Tau, WSJ, "Maria Butina Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Influence U.S. Politics," 13 Dec. 2018 The gag order led to news outlets in the U.K. removing their reporting from their websites to comply with the order. — Fox News, "Right-wing activist Tommy Robinson reportedly jailed after filming outside child grooming trial," 26 May 2018 Denhollander sued to get the second gag order lifted (a federal judge ruled in her favor and it was modified). — Jason Schmidt, Glamour, "The Army of Women Who Took Down Larry Nassar," 30 Oct. 2018 Pharmacy benefit managers also said gag orders are not typical. — Susan Jaffe, Washington Post, "Looking For Lower Medicare Drug Costs? Ask Your Pharmacist For The Cash Price.," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gag order.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for gag order

gag order

noun

English Language Learners Definition of gag order

chiefly US, law : an order by a judge or court saying that the people involved in a legal case cannot talk about the case or anything related to it in public

See the full definition for gag order in the English Language Learners Dictionary

gag order