Trump’s Huge Win In the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a huge victory for former President Donald Trump in his legal dispute with porn star Stormy Daniels.

This case was particularly noteworthy because it originally ruled that Daniels had to pay the former president $292,000 for his attorney’s fees after she sued Trump for defamation and lost. From what I understand, her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, filed the lawsuit without her permission. Let’s take a look at why this win was so important.

The court wrote in the original rejection:

“Viewed through the eyes of an objectively reasonable reader, the tweet here reflects Mr. Trump’s opinion about the implications of the allegedly similar appearances of Ms. Clifford’s ex-husband and the man in the sketch,” the court ruling said.

“Because the tweet juxtaposing the two images was displayed immediately below Mr. Trump’s tweet, the reader was provided with the information underlying the allegedly defamatory statement and was free to draw his or her own conclusions.”

The Case Against Daniels

The case against Stormy Daniels began when she sued Donald Trump in 2018 over a tweet he posted that called her “a total con job.” Initially, a federal court ruled in Trump’s favor and ordered Daniels to pay him $292,000 for his attorney’s fees related to the suit. However, Daniels appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and argued that she should not have to pay these fees because Trump’s tweet was defamatory and therefore not protected by First Amendment rights.

The Ninth Circuit’s Ruling

Fortunately for President Trump, the Ninth Circuit rejected Daniels’ libel suit against him and threw out the case. His lawyers argued that the president’s tweet was not made as a factual claim but as an opinion about another user’s post. The court agreed with this argument and determined that since there were no facts presented in his tweet, it could not be considered defamatory or libelous under First Amendment law.

TL;DR

Trump’s victory in this case is yet another reminder of why freedom of speech is so important in our society today. By upholding President Trump’s right to voice his opinion without fear of legal repercussions, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has set an important precedent for future cases involving libel suits against public figures. It also serves as an example of how justice can prevail in our courts regardless of who you are or what your political views may be. We should all celebrate this victory for free speech!  ​​​