Supreme Court throws out libel suit, sets standard 50 years ago today (Mar 9 1964)


Video: 'New York Times v. Sullivan from Thinkwell's American Government'

(Monday, March 9, 1964) — The U.S. Supreme Court, in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, raised the standard for proving libel, unanimously ruling today that public officials who charged they’d been defamed by the press concerning their official duties had to demonstrate “actual malice” on the part of the news organization in order to recover damages.