Posted on 06/30/2025 1:11:48 AM PDT by Morgana
The Irish Rover, a student-run Catholic newspaper at the University of Notre Dame, has won a major legal victory after the Indiana Supreme Court declined to hear a defamation case brought by Professor Tamara Kay.
The court’s June 18 decision ends a multi-year legal effort by Kay to challenge the paper’s reporting on her pro-abortion activism — leaving intact lower court rulings that found the Rover’s coverage was accurate and protected under Indiana law, the Irish Rover reported.
Kay sued the newspaper in 2023 over two articles she claimed were defamatory. The first, published in the fall of 2022, cited public posts from Kay’s X account offering students help with abortion access and cost.
The article also mentioned a sign on her office door advertising support for “ALL Healthcare issues and access,” featuring a large letter “J” — a signal at Notre Dame indicating professors willing to help students obtain abortions.
A second piece, published in spring 2023, reported on a campus talk where Kay spoke about how her research and professional background had shaped her advocacy for legal abortion following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.
Citing Indiana’s Anti-SLAPP law, which protects defendants from lawsuits meant to stifle free speech on matters of public concern, the Irish Rover moved to dismiss the case. In January 2024, a judge in St. Joseph County ruled in the paper’s favor, determining that the articles were fact-based and written without actual malice. The court also ordered Kay to pay the paper’s legal fees.
Kay appealed, but the Indiana Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the dismissal in February 2025.
“The undisputed facts established that The Irish Rover’s two articles were written in good faith and that the alleged defamatory statements were not false,” the court wrote.
The professor’s final legal option — a request for the state’s Supreme Court to take up the case — was denied in a 4–1 vote. Chief Justice Loretta Rush issued a brief statement confirming the court had reviewed all submitted materials before declining to transfer the case.
Following the decision, the editorial board of the Irish Rover thanked its legal team and supporters, stating that the ruling affirms the integrity of its mission and work.
“With the final and definitive dismissal of this baseless case,” the editors wrote, “the journalistic integrity of The Irish Rover, as well as the honorable mission of the paper, is upheld.”
Jane Roe: The central figure in the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case was Norma McCorvey, who used the pseudonym "Jane Roe" to protect her identity. This case established a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, overturning Texas's abortion ban.Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization: The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal constitutional right to abortion and returning the authority to regulate abortion back to individual states.
Abortion and Justice: The ongoing legal battles and activism surrounding abortion rights are frequently framed in terms of justice, with debates around whether restricting abortion access is just and equitable.
Hey Jane: This is the name of an online abortion pill provider, highlighting the growing accessibility of medication abortion.
Biblical references: Some opponents of abortion refer to the passage from the Book of Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you...", according to the Archdiocese of San Francisco which they interpret as supporting their stance against abortion.
Judicial History and Judges: The legal history of abortion rights in the United States involves the decisions and interpretations of laws by judges, like those in the Supreme Court, who determine the constitutionality of abortion laws.
The letter "J" connects to several important aspects of the abortion debate, including the legal history of the issue, the individuals involved in key cases, and the ongoing advocacy efforts surrounding abortion access and restrictions.
If this professor is proud to be pro-abortion, how is she claiming that this paper reporting that she is pro-abortion is defamation?
The AI left out the most important J; JEZEBEL loved to kill. She fits perfectly with this situation. Jezzie fought hard to spread her lies and wound up losing. Don’t think she is done just yet. She will continue her march to take as many innocent lives as she can. This woman has the spirit of Jezebel without a doubt.
“What is a pro abortion professor doing at a Catholic university?” Notre Dame has not been a Catholic university in a long time. Remember Father Jenkins had Pro Lifers arrested for praying to protest ND giving Barry an honorary doctorate.
You are right about that.
Instead of filing a suit, she should have written a letter to the newspaper editor thanking them for spreading the word about what she was doing to support her cause.
I guarantee this professor wasn’t funding this litigation out of her own pocket.
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