A state judge on Wednesday dismissed a legal challenge Donald Trump brought against The Des Moines Register and its former pollster, rejecting claims that media coverage of a pre-election survey violated Iowa’s consumer fraud law and ruling that press reporting on political contests is fully protected under the Constitution.
Describing the lawsuit as extraordinary, Iowa District Judge Scott J. Beattie cautioned that letting the case and its "faulty" legal claims move forward in court could have a severe chilling effect that "can discourage others from reporting on and debating public affairs."
