Iowa judge dismisses Trump suit against paper, pollster

The dismissal

An Iowa judge dismissed President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer, citing First Amendment protections as the basis for ending the case. Trump filed the lawsuit in late 2024 over a poll connected to the newspaper and Selzer. The ruling rejects Trump’s claims against both defendants and ends the lawsuit at this stage.

The judge placed constitutional protections for speech and the press at the center of the decision. The dismissal addresses whether Trump’s lawsuit could proceed against the Register and Selzer. It does not change the poll itself; it determines the status of the court case arising from it.

What happens next

A dismissal means the claims will not move forward under this judge’s ruling. Any further step would require a new court filing seeking review or other relief.

Because the lawsuit was filed against a newspaper and a pollster over polling, the First Amendment question was central to whether the claims could continue. The judge’s answer was no, resulting in dismissal of the late-2024 action.

The next procedural issue is whether Trump seeks review of the dismissal. Any such request would be separate from the ruling that has now ended the case before this judge. The timing and form of any next filing would depend on action by Trump or his lawyers.