Former President Donald Trump achieved a legal victory in his defamation lawsuit against members of the Pulitzer Prize Board, allowing the case to move into the discovery phase. Judge Robert L. Pegg of the 19th Judicial Circuit Court in Okeechobee County, Florida, denied the board's motion for a protective order, which sought to shield their internal communications regarding the 2018 National Reporting prizes awarded to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their coverage of alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The judge's decision enables Trump's legal team to access information related to the board's decision-making process. Trump's attorney, Quincy Bird, expressed the former president's commitment to holding accountable those who spread misinformation and stated that the lawsuit aims to expose the alleged defamation designed to harm Trump's image and presidential campaign.

Trump's lawsuit contends that the Pulitzer Prizes were awarded based on a "demonstrably false connection" between his campaign and Russia. The lawsuit highlights the lack of evidence of collusion found by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and a DOJ Inspector General Report detailing misconduct by federal investigators. Trump's team had previously requested a correction, apology, or retraction from the Pulitzer Prize Board, along with the rescission of the 2018 awards, but the board maintained its decision.

The Pulitzer Prize Board stated that it has a formal process for reviewing complaints against winning entries and that it had received inquiries about the 2018 awards, including from Trump himself. The board reiterated its support for the awarded coverage, which it described as "deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest." The Times and Post's reporting focused on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its alleged connections to the Trump campaign.

This legal win follows recent settlements reached by Trump with ABC News for $15 million and Meta for $25 million. Trump has also filed lawsuits against The Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer. The case against the Pulitzer board is part of multiple legal battles being managed by Trump’s Senior Counsel Boris Epshteyn.