Iowa Judge Dismisses Trump Poll Lawsuit

On Sept. 23, 2026, Judge Scott Beattie of Iowa's Fifth Judicial District dismissed with prejudice Donald Trump's lawsuit against the Des Moines Register, pollster J. Ann Selzer and related defendants. Filed in late 2024, the suit targeted a pre-election poll showing Kamala Harris leading Trump by three points in Iowa; Trump won the state decisively. Trump, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former state Sen. Brad Zaun alleged election interference, fraud and Consumer Fraud Act violations, tying those claims to the poll's miss and an alleged late-campaign edge for Democrats. Beattie ruled the "Iowa Poll and its reporting are fully protected political speech" and said the claims would fail under Iowa law even if assumed true. He found the Consumer Fraud Act applies to consumer transactions, with no intent to mislead plaintiffs and no reliance by them on poll accuracy. The order bars refiling the same claims. FIRE, defending Selzer, praised the dismissal; chief counsel Bob Corn-Revere said the First Amendment bars officials from retaliating over alleged fake news. Gannett thanked the court for recognizing First Amendment principles. Trump has separate suits against the BBC, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.