Supreme Court won't take up Trump ally's effort to challenge landmark defamation case

Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a case brought by casino mogul and Trump donor Steve Wynn that would have challenged a landmark decision that established a higher standard for public figures to successfully sue for defamation. 

The Supreme Court on Monday formally declined to consider 83-year-old Wynn's request to revisit the court's decision in a case known as New York Times Company v. Sullivan as a part of Wynn's legal battle against the Associated Press. 

The unanimous 1964 Supreme Court decision determined the First Amendment requires a public figure to prove a defendant acted with "actual malice" and knew a statement was false or recklessly disregarded the possibility that it was false to sustain a claim of defamation. The higher standard makes it more difficult for those in the public eye to win defamation cases. First Amendment advocates see it as a fundamental pillar on modern press freedoms.