Judge Dismisses Trump Defamation Suit Against Wall Street Journal Permanently

A federal judge has permanently dismissed the defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against The Wall Street Journal.

The lawsuit concerned a publication about an obscene birthday letter addressed to Jeffrey Epstein that bore Trump's name.

“If that were the law, every time a public figure or their team denied an accusation, journalists would be immediately prevented from publishing negative or contradictory information.”

District Judge Darrin P. Gayles determined that Trump did not present plausible arguments to prove the newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch, acted with actual malice.

The judge rejected Trump's claim that the newspaper should have refrained from publishing the story after he denied writing the letter, stating that such a requirement would violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Gayles had previously dismissed the $20 billion lawsuit in April without prejudice, allowing Trump to file an amended complaint.

In Saturday's ruling, the judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Trump cannot refile it.

A Dow Jones spokesperson told CNN they are satisfied with the court's decision, while the White House did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.