Donald Trump has lodged a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS before a judge who has been described by a leading Democrat as MAGA supporters’ “favorite judge in the entire country.”
Texas federal judge Matthew Kascmaryk, nominated by Trump in 2017, will hear the complaint by the former president’s legal team, which alleges “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference” by the broadcaster.
The case was filed in the federal court in Amarillo, which covers the northern district of Texas, where Republicans have long been accused of “venue-shopping” before Kascmaryk to obtain the best result. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has denounced Republicans for taking the cases to Kascmaryk, saying he is “MAGA’s favorite judge.”
Republican presidential candidate Trump is suing CBS News over its 60 Minutes interview with his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris on October 7.
His attorneys argue in a filing Thursday that Bill Whitaker’s show featuring Harris was edited to “attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party as the heated 2024 Presidential Election—which President Trump is leading—approaches its conclusion.”
Newsweek sought email comment from the Trump campaign, CBS and Kascmaryk’s office on Thursday.
Trump is suing for “an amount to be determined upon the trial of this action but greater than $75,000.00 and approximated at $10,000,000,000.00,” the filing states.
The lawsuit alleges “CBS’ partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public.”
Venue shopping is the phenomenon whereby lawyers file a complaint before the judge they think will most favor their case.
In 2023, Kacsmaryk suspended the Food and Drug Administration approval of the abortion drug, Mifepristone.
That was later overruled on appeal.
In May, 2024, he blocked the Biden administration rule that required background checks for firearms purchased at gun shows. In response, Schumer denounced Republicans for taking their cases to Kacsmaryk.
“Surprise, surprise: MAGA radicals have put background check reforms on ice by going to their favorite judge in the entire country, in the Northern District of Texas, and getting him to rubber stamp a nationwide injunction,” he said in a statement.
“Today’s ridiculous injunction is yet again another consequence of judge shopping, that deeply unfair practice where radicals virtually guarantee favorable outcomes by going in court to a sympathetic judge of their choice.”
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