ST. PAUL — A federal judge has ruled that former Gov. Jesse Ventura’s defamation lawsuit will be tried in Minnesota.

U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle said Tuesday it would be more expensive to move the case to Texas, where the widow of a Navy SEAL Ventura is suing lives.

Taya Kyle, widow of “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle, sought to move the trial to Dallas, because she said she is a single mother with two children. Taya Kyle oversees the estate of her husband, who was killed in February at a Texas gun range.

“American Sniper” includes a description of Chris Kyle punching Ventura in a bar. Ventura, a former Navy SEAL and professional wrestler, said the punch never happened.

The trial could take two weeks or more.