As many of you already know, a Washington, DC jury today found the Defendants (Mark Steyn and Rand Simberg) liable for defamatory speech and reckless disregard of provable facts. Putting aside the monetary damages, the real damage done by this case is to every American who still believes in the First Amendment. The precedent set today…means that disagreement and/or criticism of a matter of public policy—the founding principle of this country— is now in doubt. And should you choose to give voice to any dissent, you can brought before a jury, held responsible, and fined. Think this is just rhetoric? Consider, Mark Steyn is a member of the media. As such, he is supposedly afforded First Amendment protections. If a member of the media is no longer protected, what do you think that means for every day citizens…? When allegedly defamatory speech concerns a political or social issue that arouses intense feelings, selecting an impartial jury presents special difficulties…. If citizens cannot speak freely and without fear about the most important issues of the day, real self government is not possible.
—Amy K. Mitchell, “A Bad Day for America,” steynonline,com, Feb. 8, 2024.