Trump’s Legal Maneuvers in Iowa Case

On Monday, President Trump’s legal team modified their case against J. Anne Selser, shifting it from federal court back to state court, specifically in Iowa.

The documents submitted in Polk County mirror the original complaint from December where Trump’s lawyers claimed Selser, along with the Des Moines Register, had violated Iowa’s consumer fraud law. This complaint alleges that former Vice President Harris gained three percentage points in Iowa shortly before the November election, as Trump aims for a 14-point lead in the state.

Bob Korn Leber, representing Selser for the Foundation for Personal Rights and Expression, criticized this strategy, calling it “procedural gamesmanship.”

Korn Leber stated, “This operation is not addressing any settlement and is a transparent attempt to avoid a federal court review of the President’s claims.”

The timing of this move coincided with a new Iowa law set to take effect, which targets lawsuits designed to inhibit public speech, known as SLAPP lawsuits.

Selser’s legal team, alongside the Des Moines Register and its parent company Gannett, is advocating to keep the case in federal jurisdiction. They argue that Trump’s withdrawal would allow him to amend his claim in state court while sidestepping Iowa’s anti-SLAPP laws.

Trump has repeatedly pushed for the lawsuit to be moved back to state court; it was initially filed there before being moved to federal court at the request of Gannett’s lawyers.

After a failed attempt to return the lawsuit to state court and add two Iowa plaintiffs—Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and former Sen. Brad Zaun (R)—the judge dismissed those additions on May 23.

Following that ruling, Trump’s lawyers filed an appeal on May 30. However, on Monday, they chose to withdraw the federal lawsuit entirely. The new complaint filed in Iowa State Court includes both Miller-Meeks and Zaun as plaintiffs.