Nunes v. Twitter, Inc. et al

The Clinic, as co-counsel with Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, represents political strategist Liz Mair in a defamation suit brought by Representative Devin Nunes. A prominent member of Congress, Rep. Nunes has recetly filed a bevy of defamation suits nationwiide, against defendants including major media organizations, Twitter, an ethics watchdog group, a journalist, and Mair. Rep. Nunes’s suit against Mair focuses on political criticisms levied during his 2018 re-election campaign. In total, he seeks $400 million dollars in damages and demands that her Twitter account be permanently deactivated. Rep. Nunes’s suit is part of a broader trend of prominent politicians using defamation actions as political theatre, designed both to fundraise and to chill speech. These types of lawsuits must be aggressively defended because the ability to criticize one’s government is at the very core of the First Amendment.

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