President Donald Trump secured a significant legal victory on Wednesday, May 28, when a Florida appellate court rejected the Pulitzer Prize Board’s attempt to pause his defamation lawsuit until his presidential term concludes. The Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that the case can proceed despite the board’s constitutional concerns.
The lawsuit, filed in December 2022 in Okeechobee County, Florida, centers on the 2018 Pulitzer Prizes awarded to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their reporting on alleged connections between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Trump argues the coverage was false and defamatory, demanding that the board revoke the awards.
In January, the Pulitzer Prize Board moved to temporarily pause proceedings until Trump’s current term ends, citing constitutional concerns under the Supremacy Clause and Take Care Clause. The board argued that allowing the case to proceed would raise issues about exercising direct control over a sitting president.
The seven-page appellate court opinion firmly rejected these arguments. Judge Mark Klingensmith noted that “such privileges are afforded to the President alone, not to his litigation adversaries.” The court emphasized that only the privileged party can invoke constitutional protections, not third parties attempting to claim them on the official’s behalf.
The board had cited Trump’s previous use of presidential immunity in other civil cases, including a lawsuit by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos. However, the court found this comparison misplaced, noting that Trump is the plaintiff in the current case rather than a defendant. The judges stated that when an officeholder chooses to initiate litigation, courts must assume they have already weighed the burdens on their official duties.
Trump celebrated the ruling on Truth Social Thursday morning, calling it a major win in his effort against what he termed fake and malicious stories about the Russia investigation. He claimed the newspapers won their awards for totally incorrect reporting and indicated they would have to return their prizes. Trump characterized the coverage as false reporting that cannot be allowed in America.
The defamation case specifically targets the board’s public defense of its 2018 awards after Trump contacted them in 2021, requesting they strip the journalism honors. Following a thorough review, the board rejected Trump’s request, stating that no passages, headlines, contentions or assertions in the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged after the prizes were awarded.
Trump’s lawsuit names 20 board members and administrative staff as defendants, alleging the board’s statement defending the award constituted defamation. The coverage in question included stories such as “The Fake Americans Russia Created to Influence the Election” by The New York Times and “Trump Revealed Highly Classified Information to Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador” by The Washington Post.
The reporting led to federal investigations, including Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, which ultimately found no conclusive evidence of collusion between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government. Despite these findings, the Pulitzer Board has consistently defended its awards, describing the reporting as deeply sourced and relentlessly reported in the public interest.
A Florida trial court previously ruled that the board’s public statement defending the award could qualify as an actionable mixed opinion, allowing Trump’s defamation claims to move forward. This latest appellate decision represents another setback for the board, which has faced multiple unsuccessful attempts to halt or dismiss the proceedings.
The court addressed the board’s due process concerns, noting that this case differs fundamentally from situations where Trump was a defendant. The judges emphasized that Trump is a willing participant who has not sought to assert any privilege to cease the action, making the board’s constitutional arguments inapplicable.
In response to the ruling, a Pulitzer Board spokesperson indicated the lawsuit represents an attempt to intimidate the press and drive a political narrative. The board expressed its commitment to honoring excellence in reporting and defending journalism and First Amendment rights while evaluating its next steps in the case.
The decision allows the case to proceed to discovery, potentially requiring the Pulitzer Board and affiliated media organizations to turn over internal communications related to the controversial award. Trump’s legal team plans to seek depositions and documents that could reveal whether the board ignored doubts about the reporting’s accuracy.
This legal victory comes amid Trump’s broader campaign against mainstream media outlets, with recent settlements including ABC News over a George Stephanopoulos interview and ongoing negotiations with CBS News parent Paramount over a lawsuit concerning a Kamala Harris interview. Trump has framed these legal battles as holding news organizations accountable for what he considers false reporting.
