New York Times Co. v. Sullivan was a landmark 1964 Supreme Court case that established the "actual malice" rule, which limits libel lawsuits against public officials:Malbec said:
There's a whole bunch of guys like you on this forum that should get down on their knees and give thanks for the Warren court and NYT v. Sullivan.
- The case
The case involved a full-page ad in The New York Times in 1960 that described civil rights protests in Montgomery, Alabama. The ad was mostly accurate, but it contained some factual inaccuracies. L.B. Sullivan, a Montgomery police commissioner, sued the newspaper for libel, claiming that the ad implied his responsibility for the police actions. The Alabama court ruled in Sullivan's favor, ordering the newspaper to pay $500,000 in damages. - The decision
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of the newspaper, establishing the "actual malice" rule. The court ruled that:- The First Amendment protects the right to publish all statements.
- To prove libel, a public official must show that what was said against them was made with "reckless disregard" for the truth.
- The First Amendment protects the right to publish all statements.
- The significance
The decision protected the press and others who speak on public affairs. It allowed the press to report on public affairs without fear of libel judgments, and it held public officials accountable to their constituents - AI generated
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