Trump improperly added plaintiffs to Iowa pollster lawsuit to keep case local and 'destroy' court's jurisdiction, judge

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Law & Crime

May 25th, 2025, 7:12 pm


President Donald Trump improperly added an Iowa congresswoman and former state senator to his lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer in an attempt to “destroy” the court’s jurisdiction and keep his case local, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former Iowa state Sen. Brad Zaun joined Trump’s lawsuit against Selzer, the local newspaper and its parent company, Gannett, in late January and claimed they were harmed by a poll published ahead of the 2024 presidential election that predicted Vice President Kamala Harris had a slight lead in the race that Trump went on to win.

The poll, which was conducted by Selzer, was released three days before the election and it predicted that Harris had about a three-point lead in Iowa over then-candidate Trump, who went on to win the state by about 13 points. Trump filed suit in December under an Iowa law against “consumer fraud” — accusing Selzer and the Register of being in cahoots with “cohorts in the Democrat Party” who “hoped that the Harris Poll would create a false narrative of inevitability for Harris in the final week of the 2024 Presidential Election,” according to the complaint.

Trump’s suit accuses the defendants of committing “brazen election interference” through use of the allegedly “manipulated” poll to “deceive voters.” It was initially filed in Iowa state court before being moved to federal court in mid-December. On Jan. 31, Trump filed an amended complaint to add Miller-Meeks and Zaun before filing a motion on Feb. 21 to have the case remanded back to state court. Trump’s lawyers argued that adding the Iowa-based plaintiffs meant the case must be returned to state court.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger disagreed, ruling Friday in an 11-page order that the pair be “terminated as plaintiffs” while denying Trump’s motion to return the case to Iowa state court. “Plaintiffs provide no legitimate rationale for Zaun and Miller-Meeks to join a federal lawsuit only to immediately move to remand,” Ebinger said. “Zaun and Miller-Meeks could have sued defendants in state court without fear of removal. Thus, the only apparent reason to have joined Trump’s lawsuit is to destroy diversity jurisdiction.”

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/no-legitimate-rationale-trump-improperly-added-plaintiffs-to-iowa-pollster-lawsuit-to-keep-case-local-and-destroy-courts-jurisdiction-judge-rules/

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Full headline: ‘No legitimate rationale’: Trump improperly added plaintiffs to Iowa pollster lawsuit to keep case local and ‘destroy’ court’s jurisdiction, judge rules

Link to ORDER (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25953341-ebinger-order/

Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25953341/ebinger-order.pdf

[GiqueCee]

1. EVERY accusation is a confession...

... with these fuckers.

[Vinca]

2. I wonder if the newly added plaintiffs realize this puts them on the hook for a future defamation lawsuit.

[LymphocyteLover]

3. stupidest fucking lawsuit and of course the orange shit uses stupid sleazeball tactics

[mdbl]

8. Actually, it's his sleazeball lawyers.

He's not bright enough to come up with this crap himself but requires them to.

[LymphocyteLover]

10. He's dumb enough to come up with the idea of suing a pollster because he didn't like the result

IMO

[LymphocyteLover]

4. "Thus, the only apparent reason to have joined Trump's lawsuit is to destroy diversity jurisdiction."

Bingo

[everyonematters]

5. more delusion.

[republianmushroom]

6. Thank you chief justice roberts for the felons immunity.

You ass hole roberts.

[Justice Brandeis]

7. Has that frivolous lawsuit been dismissed yet?

It's still active?

[joanbarnes]

9. What if the poll was correct and the election was stolen?