Supreme Court turns down Trump donor Steve Wynn’s bid to overturn libel precedent

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a bid by top Republican donor and former casino magnate Steve Wynn to undermine legal protections for news companies facing defamation suits.

Wynn asked the court to overturn the 1964 Supreme Court defamation ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan, which concluded that there must be evidence of “actual malice” for a public figure to pursue a defamation claim.

The court denied his request without comment.

Wynn had sued The Associated Press after it reported on claims of sexual misconduct made against him dating back to the 1970s, which he denied.

President Donald Trump has himself questioned existing libel law, and two conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, have indicated they would be open to overturning the Sullivan ruling.