Public records show the Governor’s office considered legislation targeting libel laws. The Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher reports that a staffer for Gov. Ron DeSantis worked on a proposal that would have challenged decades-old First Amendment protection for the press and make it easier for high-profile people to win defamation lawsuits.
As FAF’s executive director, Pamela Marsh, explained, the proposal could lead courts to reconsider New York Times v. Sullivan. In short, the Supreme Court ruled in Sullivan that public figures suing for defamation must show the statements were made with actual malice rather than negligence. Marsh told the Sentinel that at least two current justices have called for a reconsideration of the landmark decision.
FAF will monitor legislation that affects the rights of the press and the freedom to speak.