U.S. Supreme Court Overturns ‘Opinion Defense’ in Libel Cases
The unthinkable has happened, the Supreme Court has effectively banned freedom of speech in this country.
It was the “opinion” of the Founding Fathers of this nation that the policies of King George III and the parliament of Great Britain violated the basic human rights of all men. This nation was founded on the “opinion” that all men were created equal, and that certain inalienable rights included the right to express one’s opinion without fear of repression.
Over the past 214 years since that Declaration of Independence “opinion” was expressed, the tools of repression have changed dramatically. Gunfire and the swiftness of the death still frighten most honest citizens, but the fear of litigation and economic uncertainty will absolutely paralyze opinion. The public has never needed protection from opinion, but public institutions and public individuals, whether scrupulous or not, now find they no longer need concern themselves with public opinion.
KENNETH C. THOMPSON
Manhattan Beach
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