Author:
Robinson, Eric P., 1968- author.
ImprintBaton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2018]
Descriptionxiii, 272 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Note:Timeline: St. Amant v. Thompson and related events -- Introduction -- The gumbo of 1960s Louisiana -- The road to Sullivan -- Philosophies of communication and defamation -- "The story of politics in Louisiana today" -- Thompson goes to court -- Results shift in Louisiana's Appeals Courts -- The U.S. Supreme Court sets a standard -- The aftermath -- The legacy of St. Amant v. Thompson -- Appendix A: Text of Phil St. Amant's campaign address -- Appendix B: Court opinions in St. Amant v. Thompson.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Note:In the years following the landmark United States Supreme Court decision on libel law in New York Times v. Sullivan, the court ruled on a number of additional cases that continued to shape the standards of protected speech. As part of this key series of judgments, the justices explored the contours of the Sullivan ruling and established the definition of reckless disregard as it pertains to actual malice in the case of St. Amant v. Thompson. While an array of scholarly and legal literature examines Sullivan and some subsequent cases, the St. Amant caseonce called the most important of the recent Supreme Court libel decisions has not received the attention it warrants. Eric P. Robinsons Reckless Disregard corrects this omission with a thorough analysis of the case and its ramifications. The history of St. Amant v. Thompson begins with the contentious 1962 U.S. Senate primary election in Louisiana, between incumbent Russell Long and businessman Philemon Phil A. St. Amant. The initial lawsuit stemmed from a televised campaign address in which St. Amant attempted to demonstrate Longs alleged connections with organized crime and corrupt union officials. Although St. Amants claims had no effect on the outcome of the election, a little-noticed statement he made during the addressthat money had passed hands between Baton Rouge Teamsters leader Ed Partin and East Baton Rouge Parish deputy sheriff Herman A. Thompsonled to a defamation lawsuit that ultimately passed through the legal system to the Supreme Court. A decisive step in the journey toward the robust protections that American courts provide to comments about public officials, public figures, and matters of public interest, St. Amant v. Thompson serves as a significant development in modern American defamation law. Robinsons study deftly examines the background of the legal proceedings as well as their social and political context. His analysis of how the Supreme Court ruled in this case reveals the justices internal deliberations, shedding new light on a judgment that forever changed American libel law.
