Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump secured a legal win Wednesday in his defamation case against the Pulitzer Prize Board, as a Florida appeals court ruled against the board’s request to halt the proceedings during Trump’s presidency.
The president took to his Truth Social account to declare victory following the ruling.
“BREAKING! In a major WIN in our powerful lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board regarding the illegal and defamatory ‘Award’ of their once highly respected ‘Prize,’ to fake, malicious stories on the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, by the Failing New York Times and the Washington Compost, the Florida Appellate Court viciously rejected the Defendants’ corrupt attempt to halt the case,” Trump wrote.
“They won a Pulitzer Prize for totally incorrect reporting about the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax. Now they admit it was a SCAM, never happened, and their reporting was totally wrong, in fact, the exact opposite of the TRUTH. They’ll have to give back their ‘Award.’ They were awarded for false reporting, and we can’t let that happen in the United States of America. We are holding the Fake News Media responsible for their LIES to the American People, so we can, together, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added.
Earlier this year, the board sought to delay the case until the end of Trump’s current term in office, following a previously unsuccessful attempt in the lower court. The Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal denied the motion in a seven-page decision, siding with Trump and allowing the lawsuit to continue.
“They argue a stay of the case will avoid the constitutional conflicts arising from allowing [Trump] to proceed as a plaintiff in a state court civil action on claims that may involve his official conduct as the President,” the court wrote. “[W]e deny the petition and affirm the trial court’s order.”
The Pulitzer Board contended that continuing the lawsuit could raise constitutional issues by placing a state court in a position of authority over the sitting president. Their motion cited the Supremacy Clause and the Take Care Clause of the U.S. Constitution, claiming that allowing the case to move forward would create an imbalance of power and infringe on Trump’s official duties.