Judge dismisses Trump's lawsuit against the New York Times

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by former US President Donald Trump against the New York Times.

The $100m (£79m) lawsuit accused the newspaper and Mr Trump's estranged niece, Mary Trump, of "an insidious plot" to obtain his tax records.

It was filed in 2021 and relates to a Pulitzer Prize-winning series on Mr Trump's financial affairs.

On Wednesday, Judge Robert Reed said the claims in the lawsuit "fail as a matter of constitutional law".

"Courts have long recognised that reporters are entitled to engage in legal and ordinary newsgathering activities... as these actions are at the very core of protected First Amendment activity," he wrote in his ruling.

The judge, a Democrat, also ordered Mr Trump to pay the legal costs for the newspaper and the three reporters listed as defendants.