New York Legislature passes the Libel Terrorism Protection Act

By Emmy Llewellyn

It all started when Saudi Arabian businessman, Khalid Salim a Bin Mahfouz, won a judgement in a defamation suit against Rachel Ehrenfeld, an author from the United States, in a British court. Previously, Bin Mahfouz has sued for libel 36 times in British courts, according to The Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press.
The bill was initiated when the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the state did not have "jurisdiction" over Bin Mahfouz when he won the suit against an American author in a British court.
This new law would help protect American journalists from these types of lawsuits in governments outside of the United States that do not offer the same freedoms that journalists get under our First Amendment.
This bill reinforces that the First Amendment protects our free speech values even when they are challenged on foreign soil.