Media Contact

Ben Schaefer, media@nyclu.org, 212-607-3372

November 10, 2020

NEW YORK - Today Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a measure to prevent "strategic lawsuits against public participation," known as SLAPPs - frivolous lawsuits intended to punish First Amendment-protected speech. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement from senior policy counsel Justin Harrison:

“For too long, New York's weak anti-SLAPP law has allowed those in the public eye to use frivolous lawsuits to punish critics, silence journalists and whistleblowers, and stifle opinions protected by the First Amendment.  With this law in place, academics, writers, publishers, artists, critics, and commentators who speak truth to power won’t be silenced by expensive litigation.  This now puts New York in line with nearly 30 other states who have updated their free speech protections for the modern era. The NYCLU applauds the signing of this important bill, and all the leaders in Albany who worked to protect our right to public debate.”