President Donald Trump achieved a notable legal victory on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, when Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal denied the Pulitzer Prize Board’s request to delay his defamation lawsuit until after his presidential term concludes. The court asserted that “such privileges are afforded to the President alone, not to his litigation adversaries.”
This decision permits Trump’s 2022 defamation lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board to continue without interruption. Trump initiated the lawsuit in December 2022 in Okeechobee County, Florida, challenging the board’s 2018 awards to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their reporting on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential links to Trump’s campaign.
In January 2025, the Pulitzer Prize Board sought to pause the proceedings until Trump completed his current term, having previously failed with a similar motion at the trial court level. The board argued that proceeding with the lawsuit might raise constitutional issues and create conflicts due to Trump acting as a plaintiff in a state court civil case involving matters potentially related to his presidential duties.
The board referenced the supremacy and take care clauses of the U.S. Constitution to support their stance. They argued it would violate due process if Trump could claim a constitutional entitlement to stay cases because of his office but deny them the same right. The board also noted Trump’s prior use of presidential immunity in other defamation cases, such as the lawsuit filed by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos.
Nevertheless, the Florida appellate court dismissed these claims in its seven-page opinion. The judges differentiated this case from others where Trump was a defendant, emphasizing that Trump is the plaintiff who voluntarily initiated this litigation. The court stated that when an officeholder opts to start litigation, courts must presume the officeholder has already considered the impact on their official duties.
The court emphasized that immunities and privileges are exclusively granted for the benefit of those they are designed for, and these privileges cannot be claimed by others. The judges noted that Trump has actively participated in the proceedings and has chosen not to invoke a privilege to halt the case, even though he might have the right to do so.
Trump celebrated the court’s decision on Truth Social Thursday morning, describing it as a major win in his lawsuit against what he termed the illegal and defamatory award granted for malicious stories on the Russia investigation. He claimed that the outlets received Pulitzer Prizes for entirely incorrect reporting and asserted they would need to return their awards.
The lawsuit revolves around the board’s public defense of its 2018 National Reporting awards. The Pulitzer Prize Board had commended the outlets for their coverage, describing it as deeply sourced and relentlessly reported. In July 2022, the board issued a statement defending its decision to award the prizes, explaining that none of the passages, headlines, claims, or assertions in the winning entries were contradicted by facts that emerged after the prizes were awarded.
Trump contends that the 19-member board rewarded the newspapers for deceiving the American public about what he characterizes as the now-debunked theory of collusion with Russia. The reporting led to federal investigations, including Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry, which found no conclusive evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Some of the headlines that contributed to the Pulitzer awards included “The Fake Americans Russia Created to Influence the Election” from The New York Times and “Trump Revealed Highly Classified Information to Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador” from The Washington Post. Many of the stories detailed facts about the FBI and Mueller’s investigation into potential Trump-Russia ties, though other stories made claims that have since been disputed.
The Pulitzer Prize Board responded to the court’s ruling, indicating that allowing the case to proceed facilitates Trump’s use of state courts as both a sword and a shield, allowing him to pursue action against anyone he chooses in state court while simultaneously claiming immunity for himself when convenient. The board stated it is evaluating next steps and will continue defending journalism and First Amendment rights.
This marks another setback for the Pulitzer Prize Board in the Trump lawsuit. The appeals court previously rejected the board’s motion in February to dismiss the lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds. Additionally, District Judge Robert Pegg, who is presiding over the case, rejected the board’s request to shield internal communications regarding the award and ruled against the board in March when it requested a delay because of Trump’s workload.
The decision allows Trump’s lawsuit to proceed to discovery, potentially requiring the Pulitzer Prize Board and affiliated media organizations to turn over internal communications related to the controversial award. Trump’s legal team has indicated plans to seek depositions and documents that could reveal whether the board ignored doubts about the accuracy of the reporting it honored.
