Gayles serves on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where Trump's lawsuit was filed. He was appointed to the court by former President Barack Obama in 2014, becoming the first openly gay Black man to serve on the federal bench.

Trump sued the Wall Street Journal over its reporting on a letter he labelled as "FAKE" and claimed its story is "false, malicious, and defamatory."

The libel suit, which seeks at least $10 billion in damages, was filed the same day the Justice Department asked a judge to unseal grand jury transcripts tied to Jeffrey Epstein's case.