Pulitzer board asks court to pause Trump’s lawsuit against them

The Hill ^ | 01/27/25 11:13 PM ET | Sarah Fortinsky

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Lawyers for the board that awards Pulitzer Prizes asked a Florida state court to pause a defamation lawsuit, which President Trump filed against board members in 2022, until Trump is no longer president.

In asking the court to put the case on hold, the defense lawyers leaned heavily on arguments that Trump’s own lawyers have made in two separate cases — arguing a state court cannot constitutionally exercise jurisdiction over the sitting president.

The defense lawyers pointed to an example from Trump’s first term, when he was sued by a former contestant on “The Apprentice,” accusing him of unwanted sexual advances. Trump’s team argued at the time that, without a stay, the suit, which has since been settled, would “disrupt and impair” Trump’s “ability to discharge his Article II responsibilities.”

The Monday filing also points to an example from just last week, when Trump’s legal team requested a stay in a case against him and his social media company brought by former investors.

“Likewise, just days ago, Plaintiff reiterated these points in a case against him in Delaware state court, arguing that, because litigation would unconstitutionally interfere with his presidential duties, ‘[c]ommonsense favors a stay of this case until the end of the President’s term,’ so that ‘President Trump can devote his time and energies to America’s problems,’” Pulitzer board lawyers wrote in the filing.

Using Trump’s own defense against him, the defense lawyers added: “According to Plaintiff, ‘[t]he appropriate answer’ to these constitutional concerns ‘is to postpone’ such a state court case ‘until [the President] is no longer in office.’”

“Defendants agree,” they continued. “To avoid such constitutional conflicts, the Court should stay this case until Plaintiff’s term in office has concluded.”

[where's_the_Outrage?]

From the article: Trump filed the defamation lawsuit in question in 2022 over a statement that Pulitzer board members filed, after conducting two independent reviews that Trump and others requested over Pulitzers that had been awarded for stories about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

[j.havenfarm]

That is about the dumbest argument Ive ever heard, and I’ve been a member of the bar for over 30 years. Trump can seek a stay, arguing that going forward would impair his ability to perform his duties . Analogizing to a legal privilege, he’s the holder of the privilege, and the only one who can invoke it, not the defendants who suffer no impairment if the case goes forward

[Liz]

Thanks for that brilliant analysis.

[FreedomPoster]

IANALNDIPOOTV

(I Am Not A Lawyer Nor Do I Play One On TV)

And still, that jumped out at me, too. It’s Trump’s call to make, as to whether it’s a distraction from his duties, not theirs. They can’t use that to avoid and delay their tort liability reckoning.

[mewzilla]

Update, and it's a honey...

Pulitzer Prize Credibility in Freefall as Trump Lawsuit Uncovers Truth

Going to discovery.