Kari Lake says she has a First Amendment right to lie about Stephen Richer

[Eugene]

Source: Arizona Republic

Kari Lake says she has a First Amendment right to lie about Stephen Richer

Laurie Roberts, Arizona Republic
Tue, August 22, 2023 at 3:23 PM EDT·3 min read

Kari Lake says she has a constitutional right to call Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer a criminal.

To say that he personally sabotaged the 2022 election by adding 300,000 phony ballots into the vote tally.

-snip-

ASU’s First Amendment Clinic at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law has signed on to defend Lake, contending that Richer has no right even to be heard on this issue.

“Even if judges in other actions in this controversy have held that Lake failed to present sufficient evidence of fraud to prevail in a claim (as opposed to finding it ‘false’), she is still entitled to have an opinion and state her beliefs about what happened in the 2022 election and who is to blame for mistakes,” her ASU and private attorneys wrote, in their motion to dismiss Richer’s lawsuit.

She is, indeed, entitled to have an opinion. But since when does freedom of speech mean freedom from consequences?

-snip-

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/kari-lake-says-she-first-192356631.html

[brush]

1. Seems none of these magats have any integrity.

Oh, wait...integrity and magats don't belong in the same sentence as they all lie like cheap rugs.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Defamation is not legal even for MAGATs

[Captain Stern]

8. Defamation actually is legal in most cases.

There are some states that have criminal penalties for it, but they're probably unconstitutional, so they're ignored.

You can say pretty much whatever you want about anyone, even if it's not true, and not get charged with a crime.

However, the person you lied about can sue you, and win monetary damages, if they show them.

[Silent3]

3. Defamation is certainly a clear and well-respected limit to free speech

While "public persons" have a harder time defending themselves in such cases, they aren't (and shouldn't be) left completely vulnerable to libel and slander.

It can be hard to prove malicious intent when a person claims they truly believe the negative things they're saying about another person, but if Lake is actually admitting to knowingly lying, and claiming she should be utterly free to do so, she doesn't have a legal leg to stand on as far as I know (IANAL).

[Solly Mack]

4. In the land of alternative facts, all lies are valid.

And MAGAs do all live in the land of "alternative facts".

[marble falls]

5. Kari Lake escaped from prison, sentenced for deviant sex with a minor, and changed her name ...

... why aren't people talking more about this?

[Solly Mack]

7. Exactly.

[Vinca]

6. Stephen Richer isn't a public figure. Why can't he sue for defamation?

[MissMillie]

10. He's not?

The article names him as the Maricopa County Recorder.

Don't get me wrong--I do have concerns about the lies being told regarding elections.

[Vinca]

11. I guess I don't think of a county recorder as a public figure. Public servant maybe.

[Brainfodder]

9. So calling Kari a no nothing fame fanatic and troglodyte must be OK then?

OH lies, my bad, she is fabulous!