Well, this ought to be fun.

Former President Donald Trump is required to attend a hearing specifically to be told to quit trying to intimidate witnesses, The New Republic reports.

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, who is presiding over Trump’s Manhattan criminal case regarding the alleged payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels, issued a protective order that stated people involved in the lawsuit are not allowed to post evidence from the case on social media. Early on, prosecutors sought the order right after he was arrested, arguing the former president has a “long-standing history” of attacking people involved in his legal disputes.

Judge Merchan has apparently decided to step things up a bit, scheduling a hearing for May 23, to ensure Trump understands the rules. During the hearing, which will be virtual, Merchan will discuss the restrictions of the order with Trump and make it clear that if he breaks the restrictions, he risks being held in contempt of court.

The hearing date was set shortly after Trump was liable for sexual abuse and battery against writer E. Jean Carroll during the mid-1990s, and for defaming her after she accused him of sexual assault decades later. He now has to pay her $5 million in damages.

Trump repeatedly attacked Carroll on social media during the trial. This earned him plenty of rebukes from the judge who presided over the case, including on the day of the verdict. The following day, Trump participated in CNN’s pathetic town hall event, where he once again insulted Carroll repeatedly and complained about the legal process. Carroll is even allegedly weighing whether to sue him for defamation again because of his insults during the town hall.

Merchan said he doesn’t plan to issue a gag order because “the last thing I want to do is infringe on [Trump’s] or anybody else’s First Amendment rights.”

And perhaps Merchan already knows a gag order would do little to shut Trump up. Just hazarding a guess here.

Trump faces 34 counts of business fraud in Manhattan for his alleged role in hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. He’s also under investigation in George for his actions relating to the 2020 presidential election, and also for his role in the January 6 insurrection, and for his alleged mishandling of classified documents that were found inside Mar-a-Lago, his residence in Palm Beach.

It will be kind of fun to see if Trump can keep his mouth shut, as Judge Merchan is ordering him to do.

I’m willing to bet this might work until he logs into Truth Social the next day.