Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation

This is a study of attempts to use civil tort action to stifle political expression. These lawsuits claim injury resulting from citizen efforts to influence the government or sway voters on an issue of public significance. We call these cases “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPPs). We examine data from 100 lawsuits and divide them into three stages to highlight the movement of the dispute between political and judicial arenas. In each phase, claims are made that reflect the official audience addressed and the official outcome desired. Claims made in the political arena were derailed by claims of legal injury, but defendant's legal victory was the likely result of a third claim, one of the Constitutional “right to petition the government for redress of grievances.” We examine how the judicial system responds to SLAPPs and discuss the potential effect of SLAPPs on political values and participation in American society.

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