Five Questions with 1st Amendment Expert Ted Boutrous

There is no one better we could hear from this week than renowned First Amendment lawyer Ted Boutrous. This past Tuesday, Trump told a New Hampshire crowd, “I will talk about it, I will. They’re not taking away my First Amendment rights.” He was referring to the routine protective order designed to protect witnesses and the process from careless disclosure of evidence by a defendant and which Judge Chutkan put in place this afternoon, ending his bluster. But Trump has also suggested he has a First Amendment defense to the entire indictment. It’s time for us to assess that defense.

Ted Boutrous is a lawyer in private practice with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He has received accolades like “Litigator of the Year, Grand Prize Winner” (The American lawyer) and “Top Lawyer of the Decade” (Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals). He richly deserves them. In 2013, the National Law Journal called him one of the the 100 most influential lawyers in America.

Ted has argued hundreds of cases on appeal—appearing in the U.S. Supreme Court, 12 federal circuit courts of appeals and 10 different state supreme courts. He handles complicated civil, constitutional and criminal cases, like he did in 2018, when he represented CNN and Jim Acosta after the White House took away Acosta’s access following a contentious press conference. He succeeded in convincing a federal judge to force the White House to restore Acosta’s press credentials. Ted has received recognition and numerous awards for his legendary First Amendment work. Who better to ask about whether Donald Trump’s First Amendment defense is legitimate?

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