Judge permanently dismisses Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal

A federal judge has permanently thrown out a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Donald Trump against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The legal challenge targeted a report regarding a birthday book and a letter purportedly written and signed by Trump for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Some reports state the judge described the legal action as "grasping at straws," while others note the ruling was based on a failure to prove actual malice in the newspaper's reporting. The defamation claims against the media outlet had previously been brought before the court, leading to this second dismissal by a federal judge.

The case centered on a 2003 birthday message that the publication reported was linked to Trump. With the judge permanently dropping the lawsuit, the legal battle over the publication of the disputed birthday book material has concluded.