A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of former President Donald Trump in his legal battle against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register over a 2024 poll he claims engaged in “brazen election interference.” The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit determined that the lawsuit should be adjudicated in Iowa state court rather than federal court, citing that an Obama-appointed judge had overstepped in denying Trump’s request to move the case.
The ruling, reported by Fox News, sees Trump’s legal team asserting that the case rightly belongs in state court, while the defendants, represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), believe it should remain in the federal jurisdiction. The appeals court directed that the case in district court be dismissed “without prejudice,” indicating that it is not concluded permanently and may be refiled in the future.
FIRE criticized the ruling for its lack of engagement with the central facts of the case, emphasizing that the Eighth Circuit’s decision was strictly procedural. “The Eighth Circuit ruling was focused entirely on a technical point of civil procedure and said nothing about the merits of the case,” stated FIRE Chief Counsel Bob Corn-Revere. He asserted that the lawsuit remains as frivolous now as it was when filed and that the outcomes will reflect this in the eventual resolution.
The legal conflict arises from a November 2024 poll indicating that then-Vice President Kamala Harris was leading Trump by three points in Iowa. However, this poll was proven inaccurate when Trump won Iowa by more than 13 points on Election Day, marking his third victory in the state. The November poll diverged from an earlier one from September that showed Trump leading by four points.
Despite Trump winning a significant majority in the 2024 presidential election, he felt aggrieved by the poll results and subsequently initiated legal action against its creators. The case was originally filed in Iowa state court in December but was subsequently transferred to federal court before being dropped by Trump in June and refiled in state court later the same day. With this recent ruling, the case is set to continue at the state level.