Samantha Barbas
Role at the time: Law professor at the University at Buffalo
Defended or excused
Statement summary
Samantha Barbas defends Sullivan and warns that overruling it could allow libel suits to become tools of political suppression.
“If New York Times Co. v. Sullivan and related cases are overruled, libel suits could again become weapons of blatant political suppression.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Samantha Barbas essay defending Sullivan's press protectionsIntroduction, final sentence before Libel and the Press
Barbas argues from the history of libel litigation that overruling Sullivan would endanger press freedom.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
Barbas argues against overruling Sullivan and related cases, so she defends the rule this case examines.