A limited gag order is a court-imposed restriction on what information during trial or preliminary proceedings can be released to the public and what those involved in the case can say about it. It is a term used when a judge prohibits the attorneys, parties, or witnesses in a pending lawsuit or criminal prosecution from talking about the case to the public. A limited gag order is a more specific type of gag order that restricts only certain types of public statements.

In the case of former President Donald Trumps criminal case over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, a limited gag order was imposed on him by the federal judge overseeing the case. The order restricts Trumps ability to publicly target court personnel, potential witnesses, or the special counsel and his staff. The special counsel argued that a limited gag order should be imposed over all parties involved in the case to prevent the former president from potentially tainting the jury pool ahead of trial. Trumps attorneys argued that the proposed gag limitations were not substantiated by evidence and that the public statements in question actually posed a danger to the administration of justice and were an attempt to "silence" Trump during his presidential campaign.

A court will scrutinize any gag order under the right of free expression, protected by the First Amendment, and applies a heavy presumption against its constitutional validity, as with any prior restraint. In analyzing the constitutionality of a gag order, the U.S. Supreme Court considered factors such as the nature and extent of pretrial news coverage, whether other measures would be likely to mitigate the effects of unrestrained pretrial publicity, and how effectively a restraining order would operate to prevent the threatened danger of an unfair trial for the defendant.