Opinion ID: 527561
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Political Speech and First Principles in Defamation Law

Text: 10 State defamation law limits free speech to protect an individual's reputational interests. As the Bill of Rights became applicable to the states, the first amendment became increasingly viewed as a limit on state defamation law. New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 84 S.Ct. 710, 11 L.Ed.2d 686 (1964), established the modern rule that, even when the defendant's remarks are both defamatory and false, where the remarks are directed at a public official and related to her official conduct, the plaintiff must also prove by clear and convincing evidence that the false remarks were made with actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth. Id. at 279-80, 84 S.Ct. at 725-26. 11 The motivating factor in the Court's analysis was protection for criticism of public officials and speech regarding issues of political concern. The New York Times standard was constructed in light of three truths about public speech. First, false statements would necessarily occur in the course of a vigorous public debate. Second, absent protection for even false statements, destructive self-censorship would result. Third, the legal standards for defamation must protect defendants from the self-censorship imposed by threats of litigation. Id. at 271-72, 278-79, 84 S.Ct. at 720-22, 724-26. The Court felt that debate on matters of public concern should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open,    [though] it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials. New York Times, 376 U.S. at 270, 84 S.Ct. at 720. 2 The weaker state interest in the reputation of individuals has nevertheless been accommodated; where the plaintiff is not a public figure, a different balance is struck. Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. Hepps, 475 U.S. 767, 776-77, 106 S.Ct. 1558, 1563-64, 89 L.Ed.2d 783 (1986); Gertz v. Welch, 418 U.S. 323, 343-47, 94 S.Ct. 2997, 3008-10, 41 L.Ed.2d 789 (1974). 12 Supreme Court decisions have created two threshold issues: first, whether the plaintiff is a public figure, and second, whether the challenged statements are allegations of fact. We begin by considering the plaintiff's status, which determines the applicable law.