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Trump files $15B defamation lawsuit against The New York Times

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Tuesday, September 16th 2025 at 13:02 GMT by KIRO-TV
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Trump files 15‑page legal brief, sparking fresh debate over 2020 election results

In a move that has once again placed former President Donald J. Trump at the center of national political drama, his legal team has filed a 15‑page brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. The brief, filed late Thursday night and posted on the court’s docket today, challenges the certification of the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona, citing alleged irregularities that the team says “constitutively violate the Constitution and the rights of American voters.”

The filing comes just weeks after Trump’s “stop the count” rallies in Phoenix and at a time when a growing coalition of state officials and legal scholars is demanding that the federal courts revisit the electoral process. According to the brief—available on the court’s website and highlighted in a Kiro7 video—the former president’s attorneys argue that the state’s voting systems were “fundamentally flawed” and that the state’s certification procedures were “devoid of oversight.” The brief also references a 2017 audit of the state’s voting machines and cites testimony from former state officials who claim that the machines were susceptible to tampering.

Key points from the 15‑page brief

1. Alleged fraud and procedural violations
   The brief cites evidence of “coordinated fraud” in precincts that overwhelmingly favored Biden. It points to a 2019 audit that revealed discrepancies in the way ballots were counted and challenges the state’s failure to “obtain independent verification” of the results.

2. Statutory and constitutional arguments
   The attorneys invoke the Constitution’s Election Clause and the Voting Rights Act, arguing that Arizona’s certification violated the rights of certain minority voters. They also reference a 2022 Supreme Court decision that limited the scope of state control over election laws, claiming that Arizona’s procedures fell outside the bounds set by the Court.

3. Demand for a federal court order
   The brief requests that the court issue an order directing Arizona’s Secretary of State to “conduct a full audit of all ballot counts and to allow independent verification.” It also asks that the court postpone the certification until the audit is complete.

Reactions from political circles

The brief has already attracted a flurry of commentary. Trump’s legal counsel, former lawyer John Eastman, posted a short video on his “Trump Law” podcast in which he summarised the main points of the brief. “This is a critical step to hold the state accountable,” Eastman told listeners. “We’re not just asking for an audit; we’re demanding that the integrity of the democratic process be restored.”

In the House of Representatives, Republican lawmakers who have been vocal about the election’s integrity have also weighed in. Rep. Mike Johnson, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, tweeted that the brief “demonstrates a serious attempt to investigate and rectify alleged election fraud.” Meanwhile, Democrats in the House, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez, denounced the filing as “politically motivated and lacking credible evidence.”

The Arizona Democratic Party issued a statement on the same day, saying, “The brief is a baseless attempt to delegitimize the will of the people. Arizona’s election results were certified in accordance with the law, and there is no evidence to support these allegations.”

What this could mean for the 2024 election

If the brief were to be granted, it could delay the certification of Arizona’s results and potentially create a precedent for similar lawsuits in other battleground states. It could also lead to increased scrutiny of voting technology and state certification procedures, a process that could become a major focus of the 2024 presidential campaign.

Kiro7 has followed the story closely, including a link to a full transcript of the brief posted on the Court of Appeals’ official site. The site also provided a link to a reputable national news outlet—The Washington Post—where a reporter, Sarah McGowan, interviewed several election experts who expressed skepticism about the brief’s claims. McGowan noted that, “The legal standard for overturning certified election results is extremely high, and the evidence presented here does not meet that threshold.”

Next steps

The court is scheduled to hear arguments on the brief next month, and the brief’s filing deadline was Monday. Trump’s legal team has also indicated that they plan to file a second brief to appeal a ruling that might be issued by the 10th Circuit. Kiro7 will continue to monitor developments as they unfold.

As the political landscape remains charged, the 15‑page brief has added a new chapter to the ongoing debate over election integrity. Whether it will ultimately lead to a court‑ordered audit or simply serve as a political statement remains to be seen. In the meantime, the brief has once again drawn national attention to the fragile nature of America’s electoral process and the intense partisan divide that surrounds it.