A federal appellate court finally made good on a promise to explain why it handed President Donald Trump a huge loss in the long-running defamation case brought — and won — by writer E. Jean Carroll .

In late June , the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit tersely rebuked an effort to have the public pay for Trump's appeal of the $83 million judgment in Carroll's favor. The three-judge panel rejected a claim under the Westfall Act of 1988 , a law that can force the U.S. Department of Justice to step into the shoes of government officials sued for torts committed within the scope of their official duties.

"The Court will issue an opinion detailing its reasoning in due course," Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin, a Barack Obama appointee, along with U.S. Circuit Judges Sarah Merriam

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