A Florida circuit court ruled against the Pulitzer Prize board in President Trump’s defamation case.
The board filed a motion to delay the case while Trump is in office, arguing that Trump’s participation in the case could interfere with his presidential duties.
The court rejected the board’s arguments, ruling that it would be up to Trump to determine whether the case interfered with his presidential duties.
“Such a request would be the prerogative of the plaintiff as he would be in a better position to determine if proceeding further would be a diversion of his energies or interfere with the obligations of his office,” the court stated in its ruling.
The denial of the motion by the court will allow the case to move into the discovery phase.
Trump’s defamation case against the Pulitzer Prize board originates from the prizes awarded to The New York Times and Washington Post for their 2018 coverage of the Russian collusion narrative against President Trump.
The investigation and resulting narrative were proven flawed and widely discredited through a Justice Department investigation conducted by special counsel John Durham.
Despite the widely debunked story, the Pulitzer board has refused to retract the prizes awarded to the two publications. During the case’s discovery phase, the Trump legal team will now seek information regarding the board’s internal process for granting the awards.
Trump attorney Quincy Bird referred to the ruling as a victory for Trump as he seeks to hold “those who traffic in fake news, lies and smears” accountable.