In Sullivan's Shadow: The Use and Abuse of Libel Law during the Long Civil Rights Struggle

The far right has used libel law to stifle free speech and silence African American dissent, as demonstrated by Sullivan's Shadow. Aimee Edmondson's book illuminates a series of cases that preceded and followed the 1964 Supreme Court ruling, showcasing the bravery of activists, journalists, and publishers.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 312 pages
\n Publication date: 30 August 2019
\n Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
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For many years, the far right has sown public distrust in the media as a political strategy, weaponizing libel law in an effort to stifle free speech and silence African American dissent. In Sullivan's Shadow, Aimee Edmondson demonstrates that this strategy was pursued throughout the civil rights era and beyond, as southern officials continued to bring lawsuits in their attempts to intimidate journalists who published accounts of police brutality against protestors. Taking the Supreme Court's famous 1964 case, New York Times v. Sullivan, as her starting point, Edmondson illuminates a series of fascinating and often astounding cases that preceded and followed this historic ruling. Drawing on archival research and scholarship in journalism, legal history, and African American studies, Edmondson offers a new narrative of brave activists, bold journalists, and publishers, and hard-headed southern officials. These little-known courtroom dramas at the intersection of race, libel, and journalism go beyond the activism of the 1960s and span much of the country's history, beginning with lawsuits filed against abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison and concluding with a suit spawned by the 1988 film Mississippi Burning.

In Sullivan's Shadow, Aimee Edmondson delves into the far-reaching consequences of the far right's strategy of sowing public distrust in the media as a political tool, utilizing libel law to suppress free speech and silence African American dissent. Throughout the civil rights era and beyond, southern officials relentlessly pursued this agenda, filing lawsuits to intimidate journalists who reported on police brutality against protestors. Edmondson's book takes a deep dive into the historical context, examining the Supreme Court's landmark 1964 case, New York Times v. Sullivan, as a pivotal moment in this ongoing battle. By tracing the legal precedents set by this case and exploring a series of fascinating and often astonishing cases that preceded and followed it, Edmondson offers a fresh perspective on the activism, journalism, and southern officials involved. Through meticulous archival research and interdisciplinary scholarship, she sheds light on the courageous activists, bold journalists, and resolute southern officials who stood up against the suppression of free speech. These courtroom dramas, spanning a significant portion of the country's history, range from lawsuits filed against abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to the controversy surrounding the 1988 film Mississippi Burning. By examining these cases, Edmondson provides a comprehensive account of the ongoing struggle for media freedom and the protection of African American dissent.

\n Weight: 229g\n
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781625344090\n \n