The current Congress has yet to introduce federal anti-SLAPP legislation, which would give journalists and others protection in federal court from frivolous lawsuits based on speech. West Face, United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. by Ken Lund is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Recent lawsuits against liberal and conservative outlets alike based on their reporting show the need for a federal law counteracting strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Deputy Director of Advocacy Caitlin Vogus wrote for The Hill.
As Vogus wrote:
"Many states — both red and blue — have made clear that they want to protect their citizens’ freedom of speech from meritless litigation. It’s time for Congress to act to ensure that federal courts don’t thwart those protections. It’s time to pass a federal anti-SLAPP law."
