Thomas Signals Interest In Making It Easier To Sue The Media As SCOTUS Rejects Suit From Florida Hate Group

June 27, 2022 Christianists, Hate Groups

The Hill reports:

Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday expressed his desire to revisit a landmark 1964 ruling that makes it relatively difficult to bring successful lawsuits against media outlets for defamation. Thomas’s statement came in response to the court’s decision to turn away an appeal from a Christian nonprofit group who disputed their characterization by the civil rights watchdog group Southern Poverty Law Center.

The former Coral Ridge Ministries earned its hate group status under viciously anti-LGBT Pastor D. James Kennedy. (The D is for dead, which he now is.) Liberty Counsel lost its own suit against the SPLC on the issue in 2018.

SCOTUS declines to take up a case that asked the court to overturn its landmark 1964 First Amendment decision, New York Times v. Sullivan. Clarence Thomas dissents from the decision not to take up the case.

— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) June 27, 2022

Clarence Thomas goes to bat for strengthening libel laws because Coral Ridge Ministries, the D. James Kennedy video outlet that called Obama and all Democrats godless socialists, takes umbrage at being called a hate group by SPLC https://t.co/0vRlnUEjTs https://t.co/je9EzrVNiG

— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) June 27, 2022

SCOTUS declines to take up a challenge to NYT v. Sullivan, the landmark libel case. Thomas writes solo to say he would revisit it. pic.twitter.com/lz4lqOtcqw

— Matt Ford (@fordm) June 27, 2022