A retired Virgin Islands Superior Court judge was unable to prove that a reporter had malicious intent when writing articles that he believed defamed him, according to a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia (3rd Cir.).
The decision on Friday affirms a ruling by the Virgin Islands Supreme Court dismissing Leon Kendall’s defamation claims against the Virgin Islands Daily News and one of its reporters.
Delaware Coalition for Open Government v. Strine
Under a recent Delaware law, sitting Chancery Court judges may serve as arbitrators in secret arbitration cases between corporations. The Delaware Coalition for Open Government (DCOG) sued the Chancery Court judges to block the scheme, arguing that it violated First Amendment rights of public access to judicial proceedings. The U.S. District Court in Delaware struck down the law as unconstitutional, holding that the secret arbitration scheme was tantamount to a civil trial and public rights of access applied.