Is 'slander' covered by the Bill of Rights under Freedom of Speech?

Question

Today's episode of Judge Brown had a girl suing her ex-boyfriend for $2k for slander he posted against her on MySpace.

If 'slander' is illegal, wouldn't the Bill of Rights be a fluke?

Answer 1

Slander is injury to reputation.

We have the right to speak, but not to injure others.

Answer 2

Slander and libel are not covered. Free Speech has a number of excepts to protect others from having their rights infringed upon.

Answer 3

Knowingly making untrue statements is not protected by the Bill of Rights. Making true statements is not slander under current U.S. law. Making untrue statements without knowing that they are untrue is a more complicated question, especially for journalists (see New York Times versus Sullivan).

Answer 4

Literally, libel and slander are not covered by the Bill of Rights. They are legal ideas that are implied, but not explicit, in the Constitution.

Answer 5

Slander and Libel are not covered under Freedom of Speech. Defamation of character is cruel and immoral, and in order to allow all innocent people to live lives free from being convicted of a crime they never committed in the court of public opinion, it is not permitted.

Answer 6

No, you cannot knowingly make false statements public against someone else. You can't just knowingly lie about someone. People have a right to have their integrity protected, so I feel it is essential to uphold the laws of slander and libel.

Answer 7

freedom of speech is NOT absolute--the simplest example is falsely yelling FIRE in a crowded theater when you know there is no fire, could and probably will cause a stampede and many will get hurt. There is NO PROTECTION for such action. This does not make freedom of speech a sham.

Answer 8

Truth is protected by the BOR. Anything said to damage a reputation or credibility of another, if true it's covered if not it is just a lie.