Jury Ruling: NY Times Did Not Defame Sarah Palin in Retrial

April 22, 2025 TruthUSA

The verdict signifies the second occasion a jury has dismissed Palin’s libel accusations.

The latest Manhattan jury tasked with examining Sarah Palin’s case against The New York Times reached a verdict similar to the first, ruling on April 22 that the newspaper was “not liable” for defaming the former governor of Alaska.

The jurors acted quickly, returning their decision mere hours after commencing their discussions.

“We didn’t win in federal court against the New York Times. But please, continue advocating for integrity in media. I’ll keep urging the press to stop fabricating stories,” Palin stated in response to the ruling via social media.

“Maintain your faith,” she added.

Palin’s most recent defeat in federal court occurs more than three years after another jury dismissed her allegations that a June 2017 New York Times editorial harmed her reputation and career as a political commentator by inaccurately associating her with a mass shooting.

That ruling was subsequently overturned by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which pointed to several significant mistakes made by the trial judge. Among these were the exclusion of vital evidence, improper jury instructions, and a mid-deliberation decision that compromised the jury’s function in the trial.

An emotional moment during the retrial occurred last week when James Bennet, a former editor of the New York Times opinion section, issued a heartfelt apology to Palin in court.

With tears in his eyes, Bennet expressed to the former vice presidential candidate that he “messed up” when he mistakenly claimed there was a “clear” and “direct connection” between a 2011 mass shooting that critically injured then-Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Calif.) and a map distributed by Palin’s political action committee.

The controversial map targeted 20 congressional districts held by Democrats, including Giffords’. The editorial, titled “America’s Lethal Politics,” inaccurately claimed that the crosshairs on the map were directly over the lawmakers themselves.

This editorial, which called for stricter gun regulations, was published concurrently with an incident wherein a shooter with a history of hostility toward the GOP opened fire on a congressional baseball practice, injuring Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and several others.

Two days later, The New York Times issued a correction, clarifying the specifics of the map and stating that no connection had been proven between political rhetoric and the 2011 shooting. The attorneys for the newspaper highlighted this swift correction as evidence that the editorial board’s actions were not done with malicious intent.

Palin contended that the damage remained uncorrected.

“This was a game changer,” she testified on April 21, detailing the impact of the editorial on her life. “I felt powerless. It just drained the energy out of you.”

Palin pointed out that the correction did not mention her name, complicating her efforts to rehabilitate her reputation “when the loudest voice in the room, the most credible, largest publication was telling lies about me.”

She also mentioned receiving death threats related to the editorial.

“It became more frightening. It escalated,” she stated.

During cross-examination, Palin admitted to being a best-selling author, having millions of social media followers, and still being invited to speak at conservative political events.

Contributions to this report were made by Dave Paone, Chase Smith, and The Associated Press.

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