Appeal in Palin's defamation case unlikely to erode press protections, legal experts say

Washington — Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's as-yet unsuccessful legal battle against the New York Times has breathed new life into the debate over whether courts should reconsider First Amendment protections for the press that have been in place for more than half a century.

And while a pair of conservative justices on the Supreme Court has indicated a willingness to revisit the landmark 1964 decision that set the bar for public figures to prove defamation by news outlets, legal experts believe Palin's case won't be the one that satisfies their charge.

"The broader significance of the Palin case has really been overrated generally. I think this is more of a one-off," said David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition who represented Mother Jones in a defamation suit. "I don't think this is the beginning of the death knell for Times v. Sullivan, but because it's in New York City, because it's Sarah Palin, because it's the New York Times, it's gotten enormous attention."