The infamously deceptive and litigious University of Virginia professor Michael Mann has sued National Review because he didn’t like the way the magazine characterized his “hockey stick” climate research. But if you don’t like what someone writes about your work, is should that be grounds for going into court?
No, argues Cato Institute lawyer and scholar Ilya Shapiro in this post. The Mann case is heading for the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and Shapiro links to the amicus brief that Cato, joined by Reason Foundation, the Individual Rights Foundation, and the Goldwater Institute has filed with the court. America already has an over-abundance of litigation. Courts should stay out of trying to settle who is right and who is wrong in scientific debates and policy disputes. If you don’t like what someone says, argue back — don’t sue for libel.
