Iowa judge dismisses Trump's lawsuit against Des Moines Register poll
Judge Scott Beattie ruled that poll coverage enjoys First Amendment protection, rejecting Trump's fraud claims; Trump plans to appeal to state Supreme Court.
What to know
- An Iowa state judge ruled Wednesday that a poll and its news coverage are constitutionally protected political speech, dismissing Trump's fraud lawsuit against The Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer.
- The judge said allowing the case to proceed would chill reporting on public affairs, and that the lawsuit failed even if he accepted Trump's factual allegations that the poll was intentionally skewed.
- Trump's legal team has signaled an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court; a parallel federal appellate case over a subscriber's class-action fraud suit is also pending.
“The plaintiff's argument, essentially, is that any subscriber can sue a publication if they become frustrated in believing that their news product is inaccurate.”
Robert Corn-Revere, Attorney for Selzer, Foundation for Individual Rights · Courthouse News Service ↗
Donald Trump President; lawsuit filerJ. Ann Selzer Pollster; defendantThe Des Moines Register Newspaper; defendantJudge Scott J. Beattie Iowa District Judge
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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Selzer and newspaper react with statements affirming First Amendment victory
Selzer said she was grateful the ruling reaffirms the fundamental freedom to pursue and publish truth without political interference. USA Today Co.'s chief legal counsel called the decision a victory for the First Amendment and the free press.
“Polling is a social science, not clairvoyance, and no responsible pollster can guarantee an election outcome.”
— J. Ann Selzer -
first by Philadelphia Inquirer, 8h ago · also CBS News, The Guardian, Yahoo, CNN, Mediaite, Chicago Tribune +12
12 more headlines
- Judge dismisses Trump's 2024 lawsuit against Des Moines Register over poll results CBS News · 8h ago
- Judge dismisses Trump’s ‘extraordinary’ lawsuit against Iowa newspaper and pollster The Guardian · 7h ago
- Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit against Iowa newspaper and pollster Yahoo · 7h ago
- Judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer CNN · 7h ago
- Judge Tosses Trump's ‘Election Interference’ Lawsuit Against Newspaper and Pollster Mediaite · 7h ago
- Iowa judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against Des Moines Register and pollster Chicago Tribune · 7h ago
- Judge dismisses Trump's 2024 lawsuit against Iowa newspaper over poll results CBS News · 6h ago
- Judge tosses Trump's lawsuit against Des Moines Register Axios · 6h ago
- Iowa Judge Dismisses Trump’s Lawsuit Against The Des Moines Register NYT · 6h ago
- Trump’s ‘Election Interference’ Lawsuit Against Des Moines Register Tossed by Iowa Judge The Wrap · 4h ago
- Judge tosses Trump’s suit against Iowa pollster The Hill · 2h ago
- Trump suit against Des Moines Register dismissed by Iowa judge Courthouse News · 1h ago
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The perennial loser had his lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and its former pollster thrown out of court.
2 more of the top 3 · 7 posts in this stretch
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The damage has been done. Large amounts of money has been spent by small town journalists in their legal defense. The Republican goal is constant intimidation of our nation's core rights and liberties, and this case fortifies this fascist attack Link this with Trump's constant badgering of reporters and lawsuits and edicts of evictions of…
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An Iowa judge dismisses Trump's lawsuit accusing The Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer of misrepresenting the state of the 2024 presidential race (Hannah Fingerhut/Associated Press) https:// apnews.com/article/trump-lawsu it-iowa-2024-poll-de7d37ffc006ae35a69753f8456ff078 http:// mediagazer.com/260923/p26#a260 923p26
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Trump's legal team signals appeal to Iowa Supreme Court
A spokesman for Trump's legal team announced the president will appeal the dismissal to the Iowa Supreme Court.
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background
Iowa District Judge Scott Beattie dismisses Trump's state court lawsuit — Judge Beattie ruled that allowing the lawsuit to proceed could have a chilling effect on reporting about public affairs. He wrote that Trump's suit sought to stretch Iowa law to turn constitutionally protected political speech into a liability, and that the case fails even accepting the Trump team's factual allegations about the poll being intentionally skewed.
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Judge hears arguments in case on Trump's ban of CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from White House — A judge heard arguments but did not rule from the bench in a separate case challenging Trump's Friday ban of three news outlets from White House grounds.
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Oral arguments heard in federal appellate case over subscriber lawsuit
An Eighth Circuit panel heard arguments on Donnelly's appeal of the federal court's dismissal. Donnelly's attorney argued there was only a 1-in-3.5-million chance the poll was an honest mistake, while Selzer's counsel argued the plaintiff's theory would allow any subscriber to sue over perceived inaccuracy.
“There is a 1 in 3.5 million chance that the poll was an honest mistake.”
— Daniel R. Suhr, Attorney for subscriber Donnelly · source -
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Federal court dismisses subscriber class-action suit on First Amendment grounds — A federal judge dismissed a separate consumer fraud lawsuit filed by Register subscriber Dennis Donnelly using the same theory, ruling that defendants are shielded by the actual malice standard from New York Times v. Sullivan.
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Trump files lawsuit accusing Register and Selzer of fraudulent poll coverage — Trump sued The Des Moines Register, pollster J. Ann Selzer, and the newspaper's parent company, claiming they fraudulently published inaccurate poll results to damage him and help Democrats, and arguing that poll coverage is not protected speech.
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Selzer's Des Moines Register poll shows Harris leading Trump by 3 points in Iowa — Pollster J. Ann Selzer's company conducted a poll in the final days of October 2024, released just days before Election Day, showing Kamala Harris at 47% and Trump at 44% among likely Iowa voters. Trump ultimately won Iowa with 56% of the vote.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by The Gateway Pundit, 14h ago · also MeidasTouch, Courthouse News Service, Courthouse News
2 more headlines
- Judge Dismisses Trump's Lawsuit Against Ann Selzer Over Iowa Poll MeidasTouch · 14h ago
- Iowa newspaper subscriber gets last gasp at lawsuit over 2024 Trump poll Courthouse News Service · 14h ago
and 2 smaller pieces
What people are saying 4 voices from 2 sites · best of 7 · verbatim
- Yesterday
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A district judge tossed an election interference lawsuit by President Trump against the Des Moines Register, parent company USA Today Co. (formerly Gannett) and pollster Ann Selzer — rejecting claims that its inaccurate pre-election poll amounted to consumer fraud.
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NEWS: An Iowa judge has dismissed Trump’s lawsuit against pollster Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register over the 2024 poll that showed Harris ahead in Iowa. The case was dismissed with prejudice.
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“.. Calling the case extraordinary, Iowa District Judge Scott J. Beattie said that allowing the lawsuit and its ‘faulty’ claims to proceed could have a chilling effect that ‘can discourage others from reporting on and debating public affairs.’” @apnews.com
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https://www. cnn.com/2026/09/23/media/trump -j-ann-selzer-des-moines-register-lawsuit-dismissed