Libel Law

There was a direct link between the civil rights struggle and New York Times v. Sullivan. It even directly involved MLK.

SKIM   The very good Wikipedia entry about New York Times. v. Sullivan. Note that a key development was the creation of "actual malice" — knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth.

SKIM   This overview article by First Amendment scholar David Hudson. Stop where it says "Elements of a Defamation Case." Note his discussion of plaintiff categories: Public Official, Public Figure, Limited Public Figure and Private Person.

BROWSE   And enjoy this civil rights time line created by History.com. 

READ   This short explanation of trade libel. A business can be defamed just like a person. If a business sues for trade libel, it must prove actual malice. This has become a big issue because of review sites like Yelp.

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