Posted on 02/22/2019 12:29:33 PM PST by Beave Meister
Professional journalism groups reacted with alarm after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas released an opinion Tuesday urging the high court to reconsider a landmark freedom of the press decision called New York Times v. Sullivan.
The Sullivan ruling generally shields reporters and news platforms from libel or defamation lawsuits provided they were acting in good faith. Though journalists believe that protection is essential, Justice Thomas said the high court was wrong to usurp the role of states in regulating libel.
“[Sullivan] and the Court’s decisions extending it were policy-driven decisions masquerading as constitutional law,” Thomas’s opinion reads.
“We should not continue to reflexively apply this policy-driven approach to the Constitution,” Thomas added. “Instead, we should carefully examine the original meaning of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
My favorite justice.
Ever since I was in high school, I never understood the freedom of the press. It’s time for this part of the first amendment to be eliminated.
Absolutely right! His opinions remind me of the writings of James Madison. The biggest mistake of the second Bush presidency was the failure to nominate Mr. Thomas to be Chief Justice...
Yep - you can be prosecuted fro defaming a member of the press but they can’t be prosecuted for doing the exact same thing to you...because they’re part of the press.
That would have made liberals’ heads explode.
And think how much better he would have been, than the current Chief Justice...
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