Libel & "Public Interest"

Abstract

Rosenbloom was the first case heard by the United States Supreme Court in which the person defamed by the news media was "a private individual who held no public office, who had not taken part in any public controversy and who had lived an obscure private life." Marple details the importance of the decision, how different it was from its legal progenitors, and what it portends for actions in defamation.