The Fourth District Court of Appeal of Florida has ruled that a defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald J. Trump against members of the Pulitzer Prize Board can proceed, affirming a lower court’s decision that Florida has personal jurisdiction over the defendants.

A Florida appeals court Wednesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to pursue a defamation lawsuit against Pulitzer Prize board members in a dispute rooted in the organization awarding a prize to The New York Times and The Washington Post for reporting about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

An appeals court in Florida ruled the trial court correctly denied the Pulitzer Prize Board members’ motion to dismiss a defamation suit brought by President Trump over awards given on articles accusing him of colluding with Russians to win the 2016 election.

The Pulitzer board members argued the lawsuit should be dismissed, in part, because most of the defendants were not Florida residents.