Overview

• A jury has been selected in Manhattan for the retrial of Sarah Palin's libel lawsuit against The New York Times, with opening statements scheduled to begin Tuesday.
• The case centers on a 2017 editorial that inaccurately linked Palin's campaign rhetoric to a 2011 mass shooting, which The Times has acknowledged as an error and corrected, calling it an 'honest mistake.'
• The retrial was ordered after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cited significant procedural errors in the 2022 trial, including Judge Rakoff's premature dismissal and jury misconduct concerns.
• Palin argues the editorial damaged her reputation and career, while The Times maintains it did not act with 'actual malice,' the high legal standard required for defamation claims by public figures.
• The case is being closely watched for its potential impact on the landmark NYT v. Sullivan precedent and as a reflection of shifting public attitudes toward media accountability and press freedom.