Did you guys know that if it had not been for Oswald missing Gen. Walker by a hair federal law could still protect public figures against libel? I didn't until today. It turns out that back in the sixties Gen. Walker had successfully sued for libel several news outlets and won around $3 million in damages. One of those news outlets, The Associated Press, took the matter to the Supreme Court arguing for the damages to be overturned. In Associated Press vs Walker, 389 U.S 28 (1967) in a 9-0 decision the Justices ruled that even though the Associated Press may have knowingly printed false and malicious information about Gen. Walker that the Constitutional guarantee of free speech by public officials against libel extended to private persons in the public arena.
textfiles.com/conspiracy/walker.txt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Walker
Just to suggest a slight change: public figures CAN sue for defamation (and win) but as the Court ruled in the Walker case he, as a pubic figure, had to show "malice" on the part of the accuser and not simply that the charges were false.
Previously this requirement only applied to public officials (this was the 1964 New York Times vs. Sullivan ruling where Sullivan was an Alabama Public Safety Commissioner) but with this case it also applied to so-called public figures.
But it's an interesting story, thanks.
I took out the videos in my reply.
