Palin’s Bid for New Libel Trial Denied

JUN 1 2022·Updated JAN 2 2023

Story

Image credit: Reuters [via The Guardian]

The Facts

Former GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin's bid for a new libel case against the New York Times has been denied by US District Judge Jed Rakoff, who stated the former Alaska gov. was unable to provide "even a speck" of new evidence against the newspaper.
CBS News
Palin sued the publication over a 2017 editorial falsely linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting. No connection was found and a correction was printed the next day, but Palin's suit alleged the New York Times had damaged her reputation.
CBS News
Palin's lawyers argued that several of Rakoff's evidentiary rulings were errors, meaning she should receive a new trial or that he should disqualify himself for bias against her.
New York Post
During the initial trial in Feb., Rakoff ruled he would disregard the jurors' verdict if they sided with Palin because she hadn't proven the paper acted maliciously. Jurors learned of this decision via social media before they gave their verdict, prompting Palin's lawyers to argue she deserved a retrial. Rakoff rejected their request at the time because the jurors had said they weren't influenced by the revelation.
guardian

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Right narrative

Palin's trial was a farce. The jurors were clearly influenced by the judge's preemptive ruling, which tipped the scales in favor of the New York Times. She deserves to receive a fair trial with an unbiased judge.

wsj

Left narrative

Palin lost, but she can't give up the vendetta she and the far right of the GOP have against the Times. The precedent set in New York Times vs. Sullivan that set "actual malice" as the standard for defamation has stood for nearly 60 years - Palin must know there is no chance of a new trial without new evidence.

AlterNet