Swing state GOP advances bill to make it easier for them to silence critics with lawsuits

Source: Raw Story/Arizona Mirror

March 11, 2026 9:24PM ET


Republican lawmakers would be able to sue people who use social media to criticize them and call them names under a bill they approved that would make it easier for politicians to file defamation cases against their critics.

Among other things, the proposal would lower the long-held legal standard for public figures — like politicians — to prevail in defamation lawsuits, veteran First Amendment attorney David Bodney said.

“This bill misstates well-established First Amendment law,” Bodney told the Arizona Mirror. “It eliminates the requirement of proving ‘actual malice’ when private figures sue for defamation over a matter of ‘public concern.’ That’s not the law and it would violate a well established First Amendment protection.”

Bodney’s client list includes many media organizations in Arizona, including the Arizona Mirror, and he is one of the state’s most prominent First Amendment and public records attorneys. Bodney said Senate Bill 1099, by Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, would almost certainly invite a constitutional challenge if it became law.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/arizona-republicans-advance-bill-that-would-make-it-easier-for-politicians-to-sue-critics/