A federal judge last week drew a sharp line around President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, ruling the broadcaster can probe how Trump's Jan. 6, 2021, speech was understood by the public — but cannot relitigate the riot at the U.S. Capitol itself. The ruling was handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett as the BBC faces continued scrutiny over a 2024 "Panorama" documentary about Trump’s speech on Jan. 6.

The defamation case spins on a 12-second edit of his January 6, 2021 address, spliced together for a Panorama film broadcast weeks out from the 2024 election.

The US president is seeking $10 billion in damages from the British broadcaster over its editing of his Jan. 6 speech in its ‘Panorama’ program...