Criminal Libel in the United States

Libel Criminal Libel

Introduction to Criminal Libel

In the U.S., libel was originally accepted as both a civil and a criminal offense. By the 20th century, however, criminal prosecutions for libel of private individuals were seldom pursued. Criminal actions are now very rare, particularly against the media, and the constitutionality of many criminal libel statutes is questionable. Criminal prosecutions for “seditious libel”-that is, libeling the government-would generally be considered to violate the 1st Amendment.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Criminal Libel in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Criminal Libel