Judge Dismisses Trump Defamation Claim, Citing First Amendment Protections
A federal judge ruled that the president's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal falls short of actual malice, highlighting the press's constitutional shield.
The federal judge dismissed President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a 2025 report about a 2003 birthday letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, marking a second dismissal.
U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles wrote that Trump's lawsuit "falls short of pleading actual malice" and said the president failed to overcome the First Amendment protections afforded to the press.
For many voters, the dismissal underscores concerns that the legal system favors elite media over ordinary citizens.
Original reporting
Variety
Judge Dismisses Trump’s Wall Street Journal Defamation Lawsuit Over Published Epstein ‘Birthday Book’ for a Second Time
A federal judge has once again dismissed President Donald Trump’s defamation claims against the Wall Street Journal over a 2025 report by the paper that a 2003 birthday letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was purportedly written by Trump. Trump’s lawsuit “falls short of pleading actual malice,” wrote U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles […]
Read the original →The Washington Times
Trump loses lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein claims
A federal judge dismissed President Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its owners, saying he failed to crack the protections the First Amendment grants to the press.
Read the original →NPR
'Grasping at straws': Judge dismisses Trump suit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein letter
Saying the president was "grasping at straws," a federal judge on Saturday threw out Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over a story reporting on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Read the original →BBC News
Judge dismisses Trump's lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday book
Trump had sued the media outlet after it published a letter to Epstein purportedly written and signed by the president as part of a birthday book.
Read the original →
Facts this version was allowed to use
- A federal judge dismissed President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a 2025 report on a purported 2003 birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, for a second time.
- Donald Trump is the U.S. president and the plaintiff in the defamation lawsuit.
- The Wall Street Journal is the defendant in the lawsuit, along with its owners, according to The Washington Times.
- Jeffrey Epstein is described as a convicted sex offender.
- The report at issue was published in 2025 and concerned a birthday letter dated 2003.
- U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles wrote that Trump's lawsuit "falls short of pleading actual malice."
- U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles issued the dismissal.
- The Washington Times reported that the judge said Trump failed to overcome the protections the First Amendment grants to the press.
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