Court Declines to Unmask a Blogger

[StockDoctor]

WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 5 - The Delaware Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that if an elected official claims he has been defamed by an anonymous blogger, he cannot use a lawsuit to unmask the writer unless he has substantial evidence to prove his claim.

That standard, the court said, "will more appropriately protect against the chilling effect on anonymous First Amendment Internet speech that can arise when plaintiffs bring trivial defamation lawsuits primarily to harass or unmask their critics."

The court said its decision was the first time any state or federal Supreme Court had ruled on the rights of anonymous bloggers.

http://www.townhall.com/news/ap/online/newsbriefs/D8D2LHF06.html

 

[Jonathan]

I'm glad the court made a smart decision. It really would have been scary if they'd insisted that the blogger be revealed over a trivial matter.

 

[Dave Zan]

I'm glad the court made a smart decision. It really would have been scary if they'd insisted that the blogger be revealed over a trivial matter.

That politician didn't find it trivial. :-D

Anyway, this is another piece of good news for bloggers, especially for those
in a seemingly lawsuit-happy society like the US...