Sarah Palin's Libel Suit Against NY Times Is Tossed: Reports

NEW YORK CITY — A federal judge dismissed Sarah Palin's libel suit against the New York Times on Monday, saying the former Alaska governor had failed to prove that the newspaper had acted with "actual malice" by tying her to the 2011 shooting of Gabby Giffords, according to multiple reports.

Manhattan Judge Jed Rakoff made the unexpected pronouncement on Monday, while a jury was still deliberating following the trial.

Rakoff said he would dismiss the case once the jury returned its own verdict, since Palin's attorneys had been unable to meet the high "malice" standard that is required of public officials who allege defamation, NPR correspondent David Folkenflik reported.

Palin's case centered on a 2017 editorial by the Times, published following the shooting near Washington, D.C. that injured Republican Rep. Steve Scalise. In that piece, the Times argued that Palin had been complicit in the shooting of Giffords, a Democratic congresswoman, six years prior, by promoting a map that showed Giffords's Arizona district in crosshairs.

The Times eventually issued a correction, saying their initial piece had "incorrectly stated that a link existed between political rhetoric and the 2011 shooting." James Bennet, who was then serving as the Times's editorial page editor, admitted at the trial that he had inserted the disputed phrasing himself.

The Times's lawyers defended the publication from Palin's charges, saying the editorial had been focused on gun laws and was not "a political hit job."

Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential nominee, has caused a stir during her brief sojourn in the city. When her trial was about to begin in late January, the proudly-unvaccinated Palin tested positive for COVID-19, delaying the proceedings by more than a week.

It then emerged that Palin had been allowed to dine at an Upper East Side restaurant days earlier, despite her vaccination status — where she then returned days later, after her diagnosis, to eat outdoors.

Related coverage:

• Palin Returns To UES Restaurant Despite COVID Diagnosis: Reports
• Sarah Palin Resumes Court Battle With Times After COVID Illness
• Palin COVID-19 Tests Delay Defamation Trial Against NY Times