WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNN) – Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should reconsider it’s more than 50-year-long stance on libel law.
The Supreme Court decided not to take up the case of a woman who accused Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct in 2014.
Writing alongside that decision, Thomas criticized the verdict in the 1964 case, New York Times versus Sullivan.
That decision determined public figures must prove actual malice in libel cases, which is a higher standard than typical citizens are held to.
Thomas writes since the constitution does not specifically require this, the Supreme Court shouldn’t either.
He then argues states are better equipped to handle such cases than the Supreme Court.
That position echoes President Trump’s frequent calls to alter libel laws in light of news stories about him.
He has suggested he’d like to be able to sue people who write things about him that he believes are untrue.
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