Dershowitz CNN Suit Rejected

Supreme Court declines to revive Dershowitz's $300 million defamation suit against CNN.

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Supreme Court declines to hear Alan Dershowitz appeal in defamation case

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The Supreme Court refused to revive Alan Dershowitz’s $300 million defamation lawsuit against CNN over the network’s coverage of remarks he made while defending Donald Trump during the 2020 impeachment trial. The justices declined the case in a brief order, leaving intact lower-court rulings against Dershowitz and the press-protection standard established in the 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan decision. Dershowitz had argued CNN distorted his comments, while his appeal sought to challenge the high bar public figures must clear to prove defamation. The court’s action effectively preserved longstanding protections for news organizations reporting on public figures.

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Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch criticized the court’s refusal to hear Dershowitz’s case and urged reconsideration of New York Times v. Sullivan. Their objections framed the dispute as part of a broader fight over media liability and the defamation standard that Donald Trump and other conservatives have attacked.