Justice Clarence Thomas is urging the Supreme Court to reconsider a 1964 decision that found the Constitution creates a higher barrier for public figures to claim libel, CNN is reporting.
Writing alongside a decision not to take up a case involving a woman who accused Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct in 2014, Thomas suggested the landmark New York Times v. Sullivan was wrongly decided, the news network said.
"New York Times and the Court's decisions extending it were policy-driven decisions masquerading as constitutional law," Thomas wrote.
"If the Constitution does not require public figures to satisfy an actual-malice standard in state-law defamation suits, then neither should we.”
President Donald Trump has urged a change in libel laws.
Last September, he tweeted: “Isn’t it a shame that someone can write an article or book, totally make up stories and form a picture of a person that is literally the exact opposite of the fact, and get away with it without retribution or cost. Don’t know why Washington politicians don’t change libel laws?”
Trump’s remarks came a day after details of Watergate reporter Bob Woodward’s book on the Trump White House were revealed.
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