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US Senate Passes 'Libel Tourism' Bill
Hugh Pickens writes "AFP reports that the US Senate has passed (by a 'unanimous consent' voice vote) a bill that prevents US federal courts from recognizing or enforcing a foreign judgment for defamation that is inconsistent with the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. If the bill becomes law it will shield US journalists, authors, and publishers from 'libel tourists' who file suit in countries where they expect to get the most favorable ruling. 'While we cannot legislate changes to foreign law that are chilling protected speech in our country, we can ensure that our courts do not become a tool to uphold foreign libel judgments that undermine American First Amendment or due process rights,' said Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy. Backers of the bill have cited England, Brazil, Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore as places where weak libel safeguards attract lawsuits that unfairly harm US journalists, writers, and publishers. The popular legislation is headed to the House of Representatives, which is expected to approve it. 'This bill is a needed first step to ensure that weak free-speech protections and abusive legal practices in foreign countries do not prevent Americans from fully exercising their constitutional right to speak and debate freely,' said Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on Leahy's committee."
Good on you, Americans. So, now can you stop complaining if we try to stop our courts enforcing *your* mad decisions, like Gary McKinnon?
And why is this flamebait? Really, sending a ufologist to Guantánamo is really overdoing it
No sig for the moment.
Catholicism has a history of marrying off prepubescents until very recently, it still happens in Africa. It is a problem with all religious forms of marriage as far as I know.
An Education is the Font of All Liberty
mohammed does file them, in a manner of speaking. A group of so-called "descendants" of the pedophile (married a 9 year old girl) "prophet" and founder of the Religion of Peace (my ass) often sue in British and other libel weak courts to harass people who write anything bad about islam.
Actually, he married her when she was 6. He CONSUMMATED it when she was 9. But ya, point agreed upon.
And ya, the "religion of peace" that has murdered 270,000,000 people (actual figure) in its history for not being muslims. And not to excuse the Spanish inquisition, but they only killed a paltry 250,000.
And for those that think that the Crusades were a tragedy, read about it a bit. They were the response to Muslims invading christian countries and slaughtering entire cities. Ya, the crusaders didn't behave much better, but the crusades were a retaliation, not an unprovoked attack.
At least they're not being sued in the UK, which makes it easier for a plaintiff to win a libel suit.