An Iowa judge dismisses President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer over a 2024 election polling report. The case challenges the substance and accuracy of the poll that was published in the final weeks before the general election.
Multiple outlets report that the poll showed Trump trailing Kamala Harris in Iowa, including figures cited as showing Harris leading by about three percentage points among likely voters. In Wednesday’s ruling, the judge rejects Trump’s claims and sides with the defendants, describing the lawsuit as based on faulty assertions and warning that allowing the case to proceed could deter other reporting or public debate.
Courthouse News and others add that the judge characterizes Trump’s legal effort as attempting to expand Iowa statutory and common-law theories beyond their limits, effectively treating political speech protected by the First Amendment as actionable liability. CBS News and The New York Times similarly emphasize the potential “chilling effect” on journalism.
Overall, outlets agree the lawsuit is thrown out and that the court relies on First Amendment-related reasoning and concerns about discouraging future news and polling discussion.
