AP: Fox-Dominion Case Could Upend Defamation Laws

The Associated Press reports:

In defending itself against a massive defamation lawsuit over how it covered false claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election, the network is relying on a nearly 60-year-old Supreme Court ruling that makes it difficult to successfully sue media organizations for libel.

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, two favorites of many Fox News viewers, have advocated for the court to revisit the standard, which is considered the foundational case in American defamation law.

Some advocates for free speech worry that the Dominion-Fox lawsuit ultimately could give a conservative Supreme Court a chance to revisit the standard set in the case, known as New York Times Co. v. Sullivan.

Read the full article. Florida Republicans already have a defamation bill in the works that if passed, would surely end up before the Supreme Court.

“Fox News is on an unlikely collision course with two leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination over the rights of journalists.” via @DBauder https://t.co/6i347UnQI4

— Michael Tackett (@tackettdc) March 6, 2023