A newspaper which continued to publish a defamatory article on its website after its subject was cleared in an investigation lost its right to claim a special journalistic defence against libel, the High Court has said. The ruling makes it clear that while responsible journalism is given some libel protection, that protection can evaporate if…
Category: Court
Supreme Court gets involved in petition signers’ privacy case
The SCOTUS Blog updates us on the release of the names of petition signers concerning R71 (Protect Marriage Washington) in Washington State: Justice Anthony M. Kennedy temporarily restored the order protecting the privacy of signers of the petition seeking a voter referendum on a gay rights law in Washington State. His temporary order is here. …
Ninth Circuit overturns preliminary injunction restraining release of names of anti-domestic-partnership petition signers
Eugene Volokh comments on a recent Ninth Circuit decision concerning the release of signatures on a public petition: I don’t think that secrecy of signatures is constitutionally mandated by the First Amendment, just as I don’t think that a secret ballot is constitutionally mandated by the First Amendment. True, the anonymous speech precedents bar the…
UK police win data deletion appeal
Five police forces which challenged a ruling that they should delete records on criminal convictions from their database have won their appeal. The court of appeal said convictions, however old and however minor, can be of value in the fight against crime. The court said that as a result the retention of that information should…