(Reuters) - A lawsuit against the New York Times by former U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who claimed the newspaper had defamed her in an editorial linking her to a 2011 mass shooting, was dismissed by a federal judge on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said that while the June editorial may have contained errors, it was not plausible those errors were made maliciously, which a public figure like Palin must prove to win a defamation lawsuit.
“Negligence this may be; but defamation of a public figure it plainly is not,” Rakoff wrote in his 26-page decision.
Lawyers for Palin could not immediately be reached for comment.
Palin, the former Alaska governor who was Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate in an unsuccessful 2008 campaign, sued the Times in June, seeking in excess of $75,000 in damages.
The lawsuit concerned a June 14 editorial about a shooting at a Virginia baseball field that injured four people including U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, the No. 3 House Republican.
The editorial sought to link that shooting to a trend of political violence, recalling a shooting in Arizona in 2011 by Jared Lee Loughner that targeted U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and killed six people.
Before that shooting, the editorial said, Sarah Palin’s political action committee circulated a map that “put Ms. Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized crosshairs.”
The newspaper subsequently issued a series of corrections, saying no link had been established between political rhetoric and Loughner’s actions. It also corrected its description of the map, saying it depicted electoral districts, not Giffords and individual Democratic lawmakers, beneath crosshairs.
James Bennet, the editor of the New York Times editorial board, testified at a hearing earlier this month he did not look at the map or extensively review the Times’ coverage of the 2011 shooting while editing the article.
However, Rakoff ruled on Tuesday, that was not enough to establish Bennet wrote the editorial knowing it was false, or with reckless disregard for its falsity, as Palin would have to prove.
Holding public figures to that standard in defamation cases, the judge said, was necessary “if political journalism is to achieve its constitutionally endorsed role of challenging the powerful.”
Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.