Sarah Palin's retrial against The New York Times begins today

On April 14, 2025, in the United States, a retrial commenced for Sarah Palin's defamation case against The New York Times. This retrial is taking place after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals deemed the original verdict from 2022 tainted. The issue arose from a 2017 editorial by The Times that linked Palin's campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting in Tucson, an allegation she argues damaged her reputation and career. Initially, Palin lost the case when Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled during jury deliberations that she did not present a credible case. The ruling was delivered prematurely, leading to jurors learning of the dismissal through notifications before they reached their verdict, which was against Palin. The appellate court found that Judge Rakoff's actions improperly influenced the jury's work and noted other flaws in the trial, including the exclusion of evidence and inaccurate jury instructions. Despite the appellate court's decision to restore the lawsuit, they did not remove Judge Rakoff from presiding over the retrial. During the retrial, Palin aims to demonstrate to a federal jury that The Times defamed her and to argue for the damages she claims to have suffered due to the editorial. The New York Times has acknowledged the inaccuracies in the editorial but maintains they corrected the mistakes promptly. This retrial is set against a backdrop of increasing tensions between media outlets and political figures, particularly as public figures like former President Donald Trump have reacted aggressively to perceived injustices in media coverage. As the events unfold in court, all eyes will be on the jury's decision and the implications it may have for both Palin and the broader media landscape.