A proposed gag order on Trump in his federal election case is putting the judge in a tricky position

WASHINGTON (AP) — A proposed gag order aimed at reining in Donald Trump's incendiary rhetoric puts the judge overseeing his federal election interference case in a tricky position: She must balance the need to protect the integrity of the legal proceedings against the First Amendment rights of a presidential candidate to defend himself in public.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan will hear arguments Monday in Washington over whether Trump has gone too far with remarks such as calling prosecutors a "team of thugs" and one possible witness "a gutless pig."

It is the biggest test yet for Chutkan, underscoring the unprecedented complexities of prosecuting the former Republican president as the judge vows not to let political considerations guide her decisions.