4/25 – A federal jury ruled against Sarah Palin in her defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, marking the second time a jury has cleared the newspaper of liability. Palin had sued over a 2017 editorial that erroneously linked her political action committee to a 2011 mass shooting, a claim the Times quickly corrected and apologized for. Central to the legal battle was the high bar set by New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), which requires public figures to prove “actual malice”—that the false statement was published knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth.

Palin’s legal team sought to challenge this precedent, arguing it was outdated and unjustly burdensome for public figures. However, the jury found after only two hours of deliberation that Palin’s actions did not meet the threshold for actual malice. The appeals court had previously overturned a 2022 dismissal, allowing for the retrial. Legal experts say the case underscores how difficult it is for public figures to succeed in defamation suits, even when journalistic errors occur. Palin has not yet announced if she will appeal.