Responding to Supreme Court, Lawmakers Look to Expand Lawsuit Protections for Press – Capitol News IL

Responding to Supreme Court, lawmakers look to expand lawsuit protections for press – Capitol News IL

Senate Bill 1181 would explicitly name the press in an existing state law that aims to protect against “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” otherwise known as SLAPP lawsuits. The case that inspired the legislation was brought against the Sun-Times after the paper published multiple articles about investigations into the former executive director of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board.

Responding to Supreme Court, lawmakers look to expand lawsuit protections for press

The Illinois Capitol overlooks the state Supreme Court building in Springfield. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)   Measure heads back to Senate for final legislative approval By BRIDGETTE FOX and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR), Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are seeking to extend lawsuit protections to regular news reports following a recent ruling by the state’s Supreme Court that allowed a defamation s…