Ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, on March 9, 1964, the majority opinion declared, "A State cannot under the First and Fourteenth Amendments award damages to a public official for defamatory falsehood relating to his official conduct unless he proves 'actual malice'—that the statement was made with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard of whether it was true or false."
The question presented was:
"[W]hether this rule of liability, as applied to an action brought by a public official against critics of his official conduct, abridges the freedom of speech and of the press that is guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments."
Oral Arguments
You can hear the oral arguments for this case here:
Or listen to them directly on the Supreme Court's website here.
The Ruling
You can read the final ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan either in our read in full below, or click here for a PDF.
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