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WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court refused Monday to block a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times over columns that linked a former Army scientist to the 2001 anthrax killings. Authorities have never solved the mysterious mailing of anthrax-laced letters that killed five people and sickened 17 not long after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Steven Hatfill, a physician and bioterrorism expert, was labeled a "person of interest" by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, although he was never charged and has since sued Ashcroft and others. A federal judge had thrown out Hatfill's lawsuit against The New York Times over...

This thread is an update on Rall's attempt to sue Ann Coulter. Rall now says he does want to sue Coulter for a joke she made about him, but it's going to cost a lot of money. He previously asked for cash just for the filing. He now wants a whole lot more cash to pursue legal action. He's asking for donations, since (surprise, surprise) his lawyer won't work on a contingency basis. The strong of stomach can read the whole thing at http://www.tedrall.com/rants.html. He can't draw, he can't write, he has a thin skin, and now he's a shyster...

APPEAL AGAINST "POLISH DEATH" CAMPS Polish conservative daily 'Rzeczpospolita' is running an campaign against the 'Polish death camps' expression. Appeal of Mr. Grzegorz Gauden - editor-in-chief of the "Rzeczpospolita" daily - addressed to worldwide mass media Warsaw, 26th January 2004 Dear Sir, Dear Colleague, Acting as the Editor-in-Chief of the "Rzeczpospolita" daily, the most renowned opinion-forming Polish daily newspaper that has always focused on truth and the compliance with the ethical principles also in the sphere of journalism I have noticed with pain and grief that in many renowned newspapers all over the world a term "Polish concentration camps" appears...

FORMER Malaysian deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim has launched a lawsuit against one-time prime minister Mahathir Mohamad for accusing him of being a homosexual. "We have filed a defamation suit against Tun Mahathir today. Anwar has a very good case and we remain confident," said his counsel Sankara Nair. "We reiterate that our client is neither a homosexual nor a sodomiser." Mr Anwar said he had intended to "move on with my life" after being acquitted in 2004 of the sodomy charges which triggered his sacking and imprisonment in 1998. But Mr Mahathir remains "defiant in repeating his allegations. I am...

I assume most conservatives have not nor will see Brokeback Mountain. Same here, but there was a clip on Jay Leno last night that was utterly despicable. Not because of anything sexual, but for the way Heath Ledger (one of the two male leads) tried as hard as he could to imitate President Bush's facial expressions.If you have seen the film or the clip, I'm referring to the campfire scene. I have no idea where it is in the film or how many other 'campfire scenes' there are, but I'm guessing through context that this scene occurred after the two...

The NEA gave $65 million in its members' dues to left-liberal groups last year. If we told you that an organization gave away more than $65 million last year to Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Amnesty International, AIDS Walk Washington and dozens of other such advocacy groups, you'd probably assume we were describing a liberal philanthropy. In fact, those expenditures have all turned up on the financial disclosure report of the National Education Association, the country's largest teachers union. Under new federal rules pushed through by Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, large unions...

<p>FALSE WITNESS How true are "facts" online?</p> <p>ACCORDING to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, John Seigenthaler Sr. is 78 years old and the former editor of The Tennessean in Nashville. But is that information, or anything else in Mr. Seigenthaler's biography, true?</p>

DOVER — The Delaware Supreme Court dismissed a Smyrna councilman's attempt to unmask an anonymous Internet poster Wednesday, reversing a lower court's decision. Smyrna Town Councilman Patrick J. Cahill and his wife Julia alleged in a September 2004 Superior Court suit that four anonymous posters to a Web log — or blog — defamed him by claiming he had an "obvious mental deterioration" and implying that he was homosexual. The Internet free speech case is the first decided by any Supreme Court, which could give it national importance, said the attorney representing one anonymous poster. "The Delaware Supreme Court recognized...

Oct 5, 2005 13:00 ET Former Vietnam POWs Sue John Kerry PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 5 -- Sen. John Kerry and a top DNC campaign official have been sued for conspiracy and defamation in Federal District Court in Philadelphia by the Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation (VVLF), which is led by a group of former Vietnam combat veterans, including several POWs, and the wife of a POW. The legal action comes just weeks after the group of highly decorated veterans, which includes a Medal of Honor recipient, was itself sued twice by Kerry campaign supporters who were once his fellow antiwar activists. All...

Filmmaker Sues Kerry, Campaign Aide Oct 05 3:48 PM US/Eastern By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press Writer PHILADELPHIA A filmmaker has sued Sen. John Kerry and a one-time campaign aide, saying they defamed him as they sought to block the broadcast of an anti-Kerry documentary during the 2004 presidential election. The lawsuit, filed this week on behalf of producer Carlton Sherwood and a Vietnam veterans group, is the latest salvo in the battle over the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal." [snip] Sherwood's suit alleges that Kerry directed the DNC to issue a statement that falsely said the film was...

John O’Neill Houston, Texas Dear Friend, Last year, when my fellow Swift Boat veterans and I spoke out about John Kerry, you rallied to our side. We will never forget your faith in our cause and your belief in our honesty. It made all the difference. Together we made history. Like most of you, I believed our mission was over. We could all move on with our lives, return to our families and homes secure in the knowledge we had done the right thing for America, and for our children’s future. Regrettably, that has not been the case for a...

Carlton Sherwood, Red, White and Blue Productions, Inc. and Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation v. John F. Kerry and Anthony T. PodestaOn October 3, 2005, Carlton Sherwood, Red, White and Blue, and the VVLF filed suit in Federal court against Sen. John Kerry and Anthony Podesta for events relating to the suppression of the documentary film Stolen Honor. Legal Documents:10/03/2005: Defamation, Defamation/Business Disparagement, Intentional and/or Negligent Interference with Prospective and Existing Contractual Relations, and Civil Conspiracy Complaint, filed in Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania [PDF: 818K]

Court hears Del. blog case; Smyrna's Cahill claims libel on Web site postings By Drew Volturo, Delaware State News DOVER - The Delaware Supreme Court waded chest-deep Wednesday into an Internet free-speech case, seeking to strike a balance between one person's right to free speech against another's claims of libel. Smyrna Town Councilman Patrick J. Cahill and his wife Julie filed the suit last year in Superior Court alleging they were defamed by four anonymous posters to a community issues Web log - or blog - on the Internet. The expletive-laced postings lambasted the councilman, claiming he had an "obvious...

High court to hear blog suit; Smyrna councilman claims anonymous defamation By Drew Volturo, Delaware State News DOVER — A lawsuit seeking to identify anonymous posters to an Internet Web log will be decided in the Delaware Supreme Court, a case some say could set precedents for free speech online. The case, filed last year by Smyrna Town Councilman Patrick J. Cahill and his wife Julia, alleges that four anonymous posters to a community issues blog "defamed" the councilman and his wife in late 2004. Blogs are electronic public forums that allow residents to post their ideas, opinions and comments...

Oriana Fallaci is 75 years old. The renowned Italian journalist lives in hiding because of death threats she received after the publication in 2001 of her book The Rage and the Pride. She is dying of cancer. And now she is going to go on trial for “defaming Islam.”

A French Court finds a pillar of the French media. Le Monde, guilty of defamation against Israel and the Jewish people. The Wall Street Journal reports: A French court last week found three writers for Le Monde, as well as the newspaper's publisher, guilty of "racist defamation" against Israel and the Jewish people. In a groundbreaking decision, the Versailles court of appeal ruled that a comment piece published in Le Monde in 2002, "Israel-Palestine: The Cancer," had whipped up anti-Semitic opinion. The writers of the article, Edgar Morin (a well-known sociologist), Danièle Sallenave (a senior lecturer at Nanterre University) and...

Radio talk show host Dan Caplis on Wednesday filed a defamation lawsuit against a Longmont city employee who has emerged as a vocal supporter of embattled University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill. Caplis, who co-hosts an afternoon program on KHOW-AM with fellow attorney Craig Silverman, sued Glenn Spagnuolo, 34, in Arapahoe District Court. Spagnuolo made the comments Tuesday night during a speech supporting Churchill at a campus rally in Boulder, and they were broadcast Wednesday on the Peter Boyles Show, another KHOW program, Caplis said. He declined to reveal the comments he cited in his lawsuit, saying it was filed...

CHICAGO (AP) - Two men claim photographs in the Chicago Tribune misidentified them as high-ranking mobsters, prompting one of the men Wednesday to sue the newspaper. Retired businessman Frank Calabrese is suing the Tribune Co. for more than $1 million in damages, claiming defamation. His picture ran Tuesday as part of a package about the indictment of several mobsters - including one named Frank Calabrese Sr. - on charges of plotting at least 18 murders. "I have voice mails from people calling me who were my customers asking me what's happening. Is that you?" Calabrese, 76, was quoted as saying...

UN to monitor defamation of Islam Ehtasham Khan in Geneva | April 13, 2005 00:05 IST The United Nations' Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday adopted a resolution to monitor defamation of religions, particularly Islam. The votingªon the resolution took place at the ongoing 61st session of the UNCHR in Geneva, Switzerland. Thirty-oneªcountries voted in favour of the resolution, 16 voted against and five abstained from voting. United States, United Kingdom and Israel voted in the negative. Russia and China voted in favour of the resolution. India was among those who abstained. The resolution was pushed forward by Pakistan on...

I am convinced God uses trials like the Terri Schiavo case to test men. Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge George Greer was tested – and found wanting. He had seven years to consider this case and got it wrong every time. I don't know Greer personally, but I know many people like him. They go to church on Sunday and then between Monday and Friday lead lives with no seeming connection to what they hear preached in the pulpit, what they read in the Bible, what they claim to believe of the Christian faith. This may be the biggest single...