Perhaps this attitude accounts for the Supreme Court's decision. Bugliosi sees broader implications. Although not a constitutional scholar, Bugliosi covers the relevant case law adeptly. In establishing his case, he cleverly chooses prior Supreme Court cases on freedom of speech to defend his position. The First Amendment provides citizens with a near absolute right.
Courts balance the public and private interests.
The court in the Jones case never confronted this issue. Yet, if we accept Bugliosi's premise, the court implicitly decided that Jones' right to pursue her claim is so compelling that it cannot wait until a sitting president has finished his term. The court apparently did not consider the possible effects of the case on the American people. The court thus places an individual's right to sue over the entire nation's right to the president's full attention. Bugliosi argues that America's obsession with the law led to this decision.