Trump Defamation Suit Against WSJ Tossed Out

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump against The Wall Street Journal. U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles ruled on the case. He concluded that Trump’s legal complaint “comes nowhere close” to meeting the required legal standard. That standard is called “actual malice.” For a public figure like Trump to win a defamation case, he must prove the publisher knew the information was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The lawsuit concerned a 2023 Journal editorial. It linked Trump to allegations involving his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Judge Gayles found the editorial was protected under the First Amendment. The ruling states it expressed an opinion based on disclosed facts, which is not legally defamatory. This decision reinforces strong protections for news commentary in the United States.