President Donald Trump secured a significant legal victory Wednesday, May 28, when Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal rejected the Pulitzer Prize Board’s request to pause his defamation lawsuit until after his presidential term ends. The court ruled that “such privileges are afforded to the President alone, not to his litigation adversaries.”
The ruling allows Trump’s 2022 defamation case against the Pulitzer Prize Board to proceed without delay. Trump filed the lawsuit in December 2022 in Okeechobee County, Florida, targeting the board’s 2018 awards to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their reporting on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential connections to Trump’s campaign.
In January 2025, the Pulitzer Prize Board moved to temporarily pause proceedings until Trump completes his current term in office, after failing with a similar bid before the trial court. The board contended that proceeding with the lawsuit could pose constitutional issues and create conflicts stemming from Trump being allowed to act as a plaintiff in a state court civil case involving matters potentially tied to his official duties as president.
The board cited the supremacy and take care clauses of the U.S. Constitution in support of their argument. They contended that it would violate due process to allow Trump to claim constitutional entitlement to stay cases because of his office but not afford them the same ability. The board also referenced Trump’s previous use of presidential immunity in other defamation cases, including the lawsuit brought by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos.
However, the Florida appellate court rejected these arguments in its seven-page opinion. The judges distinguished this case from others where Trump was a defendant, noting that Trump is the plaintiff who voluntarily initiated this litigation. The court explained that when an officeholder chooses to initiate litigation, courts must assume the officeholder has already weighed the burdens on their official duties.
The court stressed that immunities and privileges are granted exclusively for the benefit of the individuals they are designed for, and these privileges cannot be claimed by others. The judges acknowledged that Trump has actively participated in the proceedings and has chosen not to invoke a privilege to halt the case, despite potentially having the right to do so.
Trump celebrated the court’s decision on Truth Social Thursday morning, calling it a major win in his lawsuit against what he described as the illegal and defamatory award given for malicious stories on the Russia investigation. He indicated that the outlets won Pulitzer Prizes for totally incorrect reporting and asserted they would have to give back their awards.
The lawsuit centers on the board’s public defense of its 2018 National Reporting awards. The Pulitzer Prize Board had praised the outlets for their coverage, describing it as deeply sourced and relentlessly reported. In July 2022, the board released a statement defending its decision to grant the prizes, explaining that none of the passages, headlines, claims, or assertions in the winning entries were contradicted by facts that came to light after the prizes were awarded.
Trump argues that the 19-member board rewarded the newspapers for lying to the American public about what he characterizes as the now-debunked theory of collusion with Russia. The coverage led to federal investigations, including Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, which found no conclusive evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Some of the headlines that contributed to the Pulitzer awards included “The Fake Americans Russia Created to Influence the Election” from The New York Times and “Trump Revealed Highly Classified Information to Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador” from The Washington Post. Many of the stories detailed facts about the FBI and Mueller’s investigation into potential Trump-Russia ties, though other stories made claims that have since been disputed.
The Pulitzer Prize Board responded to the court’s ruling, indicating that allowing the case to proceed facilitates Trump’s use of state courts as both a sword and a shield, permitting him to seek action against anyone he chooses in state court while simultaneously claiming immunity for himself when convenient. The board stated it is evaluating next steps and will continue defending journalism and First Amendment rights.
This marks another setback for the Pulitzer Prize Board in the Trump lawsuit. The appeals court previously rejected the board’s motion in February to dismiss the lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds. Additionally, District Judge Robert Pegg, who is presiding over the case, rejected the board’s request to shield internal communications regarding the award and ruled against the board in March when it requested a delay because of Trump’s workload.
The decision allows Trump’s lawsuit to proceed to discovery, potentially forcing the Pulitzer Prize Board and affiliated media organizations to turn over internal communications related to the controversial award. Trump’s legal team has indicated plans to seek depositions and documents that could reveal whether the board ignored doubts about the accuracy of the reporting it honored.