anti-SLAPP law

noun

an·​ti-SLAPP law ˌan-tē-ˈslap- How to pronounce anti-SLAPP law (audio)
ˌan-tī-
plural anti-SLAPP laws
: a law intended to prevent SLAPP suits
Ken Paulson, who directs the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, said anti-SLAPP laws are like "free-speech insurance." "The key to an anti-SLAPP law is to prevent people with a lot of money and resources from intimidating people from saying anything negative about them," he said.Kim Bellware

Examples of anti-SLAPP law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Netflix moved to dismiss the lawsuit under California’s anti-SLAPP law, which allows for the early dismissal of lawsuits intended to chill free speech. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 John Eastman, a former Trump attorney also charged in the case, moved to dismiss the indictment on Friday under the same anti-SLAPP law. Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 26 June 2024 The motion to dismiss the indictment is based on Arizona's anti-SLAPP law. Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 26 June 2024 California was the first state to pass an anti-SLAPP law, in 1992, to target lawsuits that abuse the judicial system. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024 What does the case mean for Arizona's anti-SLAPP law? Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 More than half of U.S. states have some kind of anti-SLAPP laws, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 16 Feb. 2024 But in his ruling in January, Judge Epstein ruled that the anti-SLAPP law didn’t quite fit all of the lawsuit’s allegations. Bill Donahue, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Ben Berwick, counsel at Protect Democracy and one of Richer's attorneys for the lawsuit, said the decision could leave the new anti-SLAPP law open to interpretation as other cases come along to test it. Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-SLAPP law was in 1991

Dictionary Entries Near anti-SLAPP law

Cite this Entry

“Anti-SLAPP law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-SLAPP%20law. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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