Overview

• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Steve Wynn's petition to revisit the 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan decision, which requires public figures to prove 'actual malice' in defamation cases.
• Wynn's lawsuit against the Associated Press, stemming from a 2018 article on sexual misconduct allegations, was dismissed under Nevada's anti-SLAPP law and upheld by the state's Supreme Court in 2024.
• The Court's decision aligns with its recent pattern of declining to hear cases challenging the Sullivan precedent, despite calls from Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch to reconsider it.
• First Amendment advocates view the Sullivan standard as a cornerstone of press freedoms, ensuring journalists can report on powerful figures without undue legal risk.
• Wynn, a prominent Republican donor, argued that the standard is outdated in the modern media landscape, but the Court's refusal to hear the case leaves the precedent unchanged.