Sarah Palin-New York Times Trial Delayed After Former Governor Tests Positive for Covid
Photo via Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images
Sarah Palin’s lawsuit against The New York Times was derailed before it could begin when the former governor of Alaska tested positive for Covid.
Palin was in New York City on Monday as the trial’s jury selection was scheduled to get underway, and she has expressed interest in giving in-person testimony for her defamation claim against the Times. U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff announced to the courtroom, however, that Palin tested positive for Covid earlier in the day. Palin’s attorney reportedly asked for the trial to be delayed a week so she can attend the jury selection, and the postponement has been confirmed:
JUST IN: Sarah Palin’s defamation trial against NYT adjourned until next week after she tests positive for COVID-19
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) January 24, 2022
Palin’s lawsuit holds several implications for the First Amendment due to the nature of her defamation charge against the Grey Lady.
Palin initiated her lawsuit in 2017 after the Times published an editorial which falsely connected an ad from her political team to the shooting of Gabby Giffords and 6 others. There was never any solid link between the ad and the shooting, but even though the Times’ newsroom acknowledged the error and ran a correction, Palin moved forward to accuse the outlet of libel. The legal question now is whether Palin can prove that the Times acted with “actual malice” by publishing the op-ed.
Whenever Palin’s trial gets back on its feet, complications may arise from the fact that she is unvaccinated, which Rakoff noted while announcing the news. Palin’s diagnosis comes about a month after she was applauded at a right-wing speaking engagement when she said “it’ll be over my dead body” before she is forced to get the shot.
