This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact Luke Wachob at [email protected].  

Politico: Judge: No ‘speck’ of proof in Palin’s libel case against NYT

.....The judge who presided over Sarah Palin’s libel case against The New York Times denied her request Tuesday for a new trial, saying she failed to introduce “even a speck” of evidence necessary to prove actual malice by the newspaper.

The Hill: To protect democracy from dark-money influence, we need the DISCLOSE Act

.....With free and fair elections under ongoing attack, the U.S. Senate must pass the long-stalled Disclose Act in the coming weeks — to shine a bright light on the secret, “dark money” that underlies our toxic political system.

Reason (Volokh Conspiracy): Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Libel, and Chilling Effects

.....Perhaps Justices Goldberg, Douglas, and Black were right, and libel law should be categorically rejected (at least for speech on matters of public concern). But that's not the path our legal system has taken; even as it has cut back sharply on libel liability in many situations, it has accepted the core of liability for knowing or reckless lies that damage particular people's reputations, notwithstanding the chilling effect even such reduced liability can cause.

The Dispatch: It’s Voters, Not Lobbyists, Who Shape the GOP Gun Agenda

.....This gets the political reality backward: the “gun lobby” is the tail, not the dog. Indeed, the NRA is a hot mess, and has probably never been weaker. It’s even tried to declare bankruptcy. Whatever you think of its policies, the GOP is not captured by puppet-masters who have its “balls in a money clip,” in Jimmy Kimmel’s colorful phrase. Republicans are following the will of their voters, or at least the voters who reliably turn out and vote on gun issues, particularly in primaries...

Election Law Blog: “Democracies in the Age of Fragmentation”

.....I’ve posted this new essay, which is coming out in the California Law Review, on SSRN. Here’s the abstract:

Willamette Week: Three Political Action Committees Supporting Democratic Candidate Carrick Flynn Are All Backed by a Crypto Billionaire

.....In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, NBC News published a story last week on a new national super PAC with a mission to support Asian Americans in politics.

Daily Beast: Why Johnny Depp’s Decision to Sue Amber Heard in Virginia Paid Off

.....Anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) laws are supposed to stop rich and powerful people from burdening courts and defendants with meritless lawsuits.

[Ed. note: Read our anti-SLAPP report, a 50-state report card evaluating the anti-SLAPP laws in each state, here.]

3TV/CBS 5: New Arizona law targets frivolous libel suits

.....A new Arizona law may make it easier for the targets of frivolous libel lawsuits to have those lawsuits thrown out of court. Gov. Doug Ducey signed HB 2722 into law on Friday. It is a version of what’s called an “anti-SLAPP” law. SLAPP stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation. “The purpose of this bill is to make sure that nobody who exercises their First Amendment rights should be sued simply because they’re doing that,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ben Toma, a Republican from northwest Phoenix.

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