A federal jury in New York City on Feb. 15 dismissed former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s second attempt to sue The New York Times for defamation. The lawsuit came as a result of an editorial that was meant to critique heated political rhetoric surrounding a 2011 mass shooting that killed six people and severely injured Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Palin had sued The Times and its former editorial page editor, James Bennet, for falsely linking her to the tragic event.
Palin’s suit is the first libel case against The New York Times to go to trial in the United States in 18 years. BC Law Professor Kent Greenfield has followed the case closely, speaking with NBC News in February about Palin’s chances of winning an appeal.
Read more on the case in a Q&A with Boston College Chronicle, where Greenfield spoke about the implications of the Palin case and what it may portend for the future.