Kevin Wagner
Q. Can a politician just sue the press every time there is a story they don’t like?
The United States expressly protects free speech, especially political speech. The First Amendment prohibits the government from “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” However, the protection is not absolute.
Defamation law allows liability for false statements of fact that harm reputation, but the Constitution sets especially demanding standards when the plaintiff is a public official or public figure.
Under U.S. law, defamation is split into libel (written) and slander (spoken). To win a basic defamation suit, a private plaintiff must prove a
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