Sarah Palin resumes court battle with New York Times after COVID-19 postponement

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was back in a New York City courtroom Thursday, more than a week after the start of a trial in her libel lawsuit against The New York Times was postponed due to her positive COVID-19 test.

After jury selection, Palin attorney Shane Vogt told Manhattan federal court jurors in an opening statement to set aside their opinions about Palin and determine if the newspaper defamed her.

Palin is seeking unspecified damages based on claims that an editorial in the Times hurt her promising career as a political commentator.

“We come to this case with our eyes wide open and keenly aware of the fact we’re fighting an uphill battle,” Vogt said. “Give us a fair shot. We’re not here trying to win your votes for Governor Palin or any of her policies.”

A lawyer for The Times, David Axelrod, told jurors the editorial was primarily about gun laws, not Palin, and was not a “political hit job.”

Opening statements to the jury were initially scheduled for last week but were postponed when Palin tested positive for COVID-19.  The trial is happening in New York City.

“We come to this case with our eyes wide open and keenly aware of the fact we’re fighting an uphill battle,” Vogt said. “Give us a fair shot. We’re not here trying to win your votes for Governor Palin or any of her policies.”

Axelrod, an attorney for the Times, acknowledged the newspaper made a factual mistake in the editorial but said it was not malicious and the paper “acted as quickly as possible to correct that mistake.”

Palin sued the Times in 2017, accusing it of damaging her career as a political commentator with an editorial about gun control published after U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, was wounded when a man with a history of anti-GOP activity opened fire on a Congressional baseball team practice in Washington.