New Trump judicial win: Senate confirms Ed Artau as U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida

The Senate confirmed Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal Judge Ed Artau as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Monday, in what represents the president's sixth judicial nominee Donald Trump to win confirmation by the upper chamber after a final result of 50 votes in favor and 43 against.

Trump announced his nomination last May through a post on his Truth Social account, in which he praised Artau for his career as an appellate judge since 2020, general counsel for the South Florida Water Management District, and circuit judge from 2014-2020. "Ed has a GREAT track record of restoring LAW AND ORDER and, most importantly, Common Sense (which is, sadly, rare these days). I know Ed will do a GREAT job for the State of Florida, and our Nation," the Republican leader detailed on his social network.

Trump's lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize

Artau's nomination came three months after he officially joined a three-judge panel that allowed Trump to pursue a lawsuit he had filed in 2022 against members of the Pulitzer Prize board. The lawsuit was filed shortly after the jury for that prize rejected the conservative leader's request to revoke the award granted jointly to The New York Times and The Washington Post in 2018for their coverage of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump, who dsince his first presidency has called the allegations of Russian collusion a "hoax" by the Democratic Party and Democratic Party-affiliated media, made the claim against the Pulitzer members after accusing them of defamation and conspiracy. A trial judge refused to dismiss this case and the appeals court eventually upheld the decision. For his part, Artau went so far as to comment that the panel made the right decision in allowing Trump to pursue a case over "now-debunked allegations"and "the alleged publication of defamatory 'FAKE NEWS'."