Trumps Lawsuit Against Bob Woodward Dismissed

A federal judge on Friday dismissed President Trump’s lawsuit against famed Watergate journalist Bob Woodward for publishing audio tapes of interviews he conducted with Trump for a 2020 book.

U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe’s ruling comes a year and a half after Woodward and his publisher asked the judge to dismiss the suit. Trump’s attorneys had long complained about the lack of progress, repeatedly urging Gardephe to rule.

An appointee of former President George W. Bush, Gardephe rejected Trump’s arguments that he is a joint author of the tapes and ruled that even if he wasn’t, the interview responses are protected copyright.

“There is almost no support in the case law for the notion that an interviewee has a copyright interest in his responses to interview questions, and such a conclusion would run counter to animating principles of the Copyright Act,” the judge pushed back.

The judge also dismissed Trump’s state law claims, ruling those were preempted by federal copyright law.