Attorneys for veteran pollster J. Ann Selzer have sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s legal maneuvers, accusing him of “transparently improper” tactics and urging a federal judge to consider sanctions if he continues to ignore court orders.
According to a recent court filing, Selzer’s legal team claims that President Trump is treating compliance with judicial directives as “optional,” and argue he should no longer be granted delays in filing an amended complaint — especially one stripped of what they describe as “illegitimate” co-plaintiffs and without new allegations or claims.
“This is the second time President Trump has disobeyed a direct order from the Court to amend his complaint to remove jurisdiction-defeating allegations,” the filing states. “The first time, he responded by filing a stay request instead — which was promptly denied. Now, he’s done it again.”
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger had previously ruled in favor of Selzer, the Des Moines Register, and Gannett, striking Trump’s notice of voluntary dismissal from the docket because his appeal was still pending with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Once that appeal was denied, Trump “renewed” his stay request, raising the same arguments that had already been rejected, while simultaneously petitioning the appellate court to withhold its mandate sending the case back to the district court.
The renewed legal fight comes amid Trump’s attempt to refile the same case in Iowa state court — just one day before the state’s new anti-SLAPP law was set to take effect. Anti-SLAPP laws are designed to deter lawsuits meant to intimidate or silence critics through burdensome litigation. Selzer’s attorneys say Trump’s consumer fraud lawsuit over a 2024 election poll fits that description.
The poll at the center of the dispute, released ahead of the 2024 election, showed then-Vice President Kamala Harris slightly ahead of Trump in Iowa — a state he ultimately won by double digits. Selzer later admitted the poll had missed the mark and said she was “humbled” by the outcome, but Trump filed suit anyway.
In the latest filing, Selzer’s team accused Trump of waiting until the last minute to submit his latest stay motion — despite being given nearly six extra weeks to comply. They also pointed out that Trump filed an identical lawsuit in state court on June 30, without informing the federal court.
“There’s no question he had time to file what this Court ordered. He simply chose not to,” the filing stated.
Selzer’s attorneys are now asking Judge Ebinger — an appointee of President Barack Obama — to deny Trump’s renewed stay motion, compel him to submit the amended complaint within 48 hours, and warn that further defiance may result in sanctions.
“After this Court denied the Plaintiff a stay, he effectively granted himself one,” they wrote. “This Court should reject the renewed motion and make clear that further disregard for its orders will not be tolerated.”
