129 Big Mark for America The First Amendment and Donald Trump

The First Amendment, as incorporated by the Fourteenth Amendment, and as interpreted by the Supreme Court, grants broad protection for political speech. Despite this, current understanding of the First Amendment also provides protection for politicians who are deliberately maligned with known falsehoods or by people who show a reckless disregard for the truth (NYT v Sullivan, 1964). Claiming to want something he surely knows he already has - the right to sue people who deliberately tell lies about him - Donald Trump has stated he wants to make our legal system more like that of the UK. The UK's libel laws are oppressive and have a chilling effect on public discourse. Trump would throw away that which we fought a revolution to gain.