New York V. Sullivan Essay - 1710 Words

New York v. Sullivan (1964) involves the petitioner the New York Times Company and the respondent City Commissoner L.B. Sullivan and was decided on March 9th 1964. According to Oyez, a brief history the case was â€Å"decided together with Abernathy v. Sullivan (1964), this case concerns a full-page ad in the New York Times which alleged that the arrest of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. for perjury in Alabama was part of a campaign to destroy King s efforts to integrate public facilities and encourage blacks to vote. L. B. Sullivan, the Montgomery city commissioner, filed a libel action against the newspaper and four black ministers who were listed as endorsers of the ad, claiming that the allegations against the Montgomery police defamed him personally. Under Alabama law, Sullivan did not have to prove that he had been harmed; and a defense claiming that the ad was truthful was unavailable since the ad contained factual errors. Previously, according to the Alabama Encyclopedia, à ¢â‚¬Å"Under Alabama law, belief in the truth of statements did not excuse libel, although it could be used as a factor when determining punitive damages. During the trial in Montgomery s circuit court, six local residents testified that they believed the statements in paragraphs three and six referred to Sullivan personally. Therefore as a remedy sought in the lower courts, the jury awarded Sullivan $500,000, which was affirmed by the State Supreme Court after an appeal by the NYT, The New York TimesShow MoreRelatedDefamation Law: Libel And Slander Essay1062 Words   |  5 Pagesfor the purpose of defaming a living person. Now there have been hundreds of cases of libel in the United States. Some significant court cases are ones like New York Times Co. v Sullivan 376 U.S. 254 (1964). This case was about the alleged libel of Montgomery, Alabama. Commissioner L. B. Sullivan in the New York Times Magazine. The New York times supported Martin Luther King Jr. and his innocence in an alle ged perjusry charge, Dr. king was accused of lieing under oath. This court case was one ofRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement : The New York Times Newspaper Company1678 Words   |  7 PagesIn 1960 the Civil Rights Movement was beginning to gain a lot strength. Many civil rights leaders put a full-page ad in the New York Times newspaper company. The ad was to raise money to help civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr. There were sixty popular Americans who signed it. The ad put in the paper was describing how â€Å" an unprecedented wave of terror† was rising with police actions against peaceful demonstrators in Montgomery, Alabama. The ad was mostly accurate, but a few ofRead MoreEssay on The First Amendment and its Impact on Media1134 Words   |  5 Pages which still sets precedent in todays cases, is New York Times v. Sullivan (1964). New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) is the leading case on the question of defamation liability for media defendants. The case, heard before the Supreme Court, declared that public officials and figures could not recover for an alleged defamation unless they can prove both that the statement was false, and was made with actual malice. This decision prevents the news media from reporting on false or slanderous storiesRead MoreSpeech On The First Amendment1786 Words   |  8 Pagesneither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy. Providing context is also crucial in not misrepresenting or oversimplifying when promoting, previewing or summarizing a story. One must gather, correct and update factual information throughout the life of a news story. When making promises, one mus t be cautious and keep the promises that they make. Sources must be identified clearly because the public is entitled to as much information as possible when judging the reliability and motivations of sources. OneRead MoreI Believe that Piracy Should Be Legal558 Words   |  2 Pagesmeans that the person publishing the information has to know that the information being published is false or is publishing information regardless of whether it is true or false. This rule was established following the landmark 1964 lawsuit New York Times v. Sullivan, which ruled that public officials needed to prove actual malice in order to recover damages for libel. A relatively current case of a public figure that could make sense to apply this rule could be Obama citizenship denial, which is a phenomenonRead MoreHow the Earl Warren Court Liberalized America Essay842 Words   |  4 Pagesways. One way the Warren Court liberalized America, is through the court cases of Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), E scobedo v. Illinois (1964), and Miranda v. Arizona (1966), where these court cases helped define Due Process and the rights of defendants. Another way the Warren Court liberalized America, is through the cases of Tinker v. Des Moines ISD (1969), Engle v. Vitale (1962), and New York Times v. Sullivan (1964), where the Supreme Court sought to expand the scope of application of the First AmendmentRead MoreWalter Sobchak Should Be Charged Under New York Penal Law 125.25 Essay1455 Words   |  6 PagesSobchak should be charged under New York Penal Law 125.25, which is murder in the second degree. Upon seeing is wife Meara Ramos, in bed with James P. Sullivan, Sobchak makes the conscious decision to pick up his firearm, a deadly weapon and shoot it at Sullivan which reveals his intent to cause the death of another person. Unfortunately, the bullet ultimately travels outside, hitting and killing Edward Vedder; an innocent bystander. In his attempt to murder Sullivan; Sobchak, causes the d eath of aRead MoreCase Analysis : Mr. Fields845 Words   |  4 PagesFirst Amendment rights. First we have the case of The New York Times who printed an advertisement where it clearly was accusing the Alabama police department of misdeeds. The police commissioner, L. B. Sullivan sued New York Times and their writers for the advertisement. The case became to be known as the New York Times Co. V. Sullivan (1963) case. After the case went to court, the judgement in favor of Sullivan had to be overturned, and New York Times could not be convicted of libel. What this demonstrateRead MoreThe Warren Court And The Criminal Justice Revolution Of The 1960 S1605 Words   |  7 PagesSupreme Court Justice Earl Warren who is famously known for cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, Fay v. Noia, Mapp v. Ohio, Sherbert v. Verner, and New York Times v. Sullivan. â€Å"Earl Warren s name has become the shorthand for a jurisprudential shift from state toward federal authority; the Warren Cour t offered an expansive understanding of the role federal courts could play in enabling access for a host of new claimants seeking an array of rights† (Resnik 2012). Earl Warren’s court and jurisprudenceRead MoreFreedom of Speech in the School System: Rights for Dean and Students702 Words   |  3 Pagesto require the clearance of every editorial. Additionally, the dean of students has warned against a planned rally to protest lavish spending. This protest is not school-sponsored speech, but student speech that occurs in school premises. In Tinker v. Des Moines Ind. Sch. Dist., the Supreme Court ruled that speech must be tolerated unless it â€Å"substantially interfere[s] with the work of the school or impinge[s] upon the rights of other students.† Here the question is on the justification of the school