Obama-Appointed Florida Judge Oversees Trump $10B WSJ Lawsuit

President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion libel lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, the Wall Street Journal, and related parties over allegations that he sent a sexually suggestive birthday card to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The case has been assigned to Judge Darrin P. Gayles, a former federal prosecutor appointed to the Southern District of Florida bench by President Barack Obama in 2014. Judge Gayles is notable for being the first openly gay Black man to serve as a federal judge. Trump's lawsuit claims the defendants falsely accused him without providing any authentic letter, drawing, or proof that Trump authored or signed such a card. The defendants are accused of failing to produce the original letter or drawing and lacking an explanation of how the purported letter was obtained. The assignment of an Obama-appointed judge to oversee this high-profile lawsuit adds a notable dimension to the legal proceedings.