ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Randall Stephenson

Dr. Randall Stephenson is a Senior Researcher in the public law department at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law. He is a comparative public law and defamation scholar specializing in press freedom, democratic theory, and networked accountability dynamics.

POSTS BY Randall Stephenson

29 May 2024

Randall Stephenson

Untying the Gordian Knot

Much like Alexander the Great’s “untying” of the mythical Gordian Knot in ancient Persia, tracking defamation litigation in this year’s US Presidential election season would appear to not only require formal legal training, but resort to some fairly unconventional tactics. But rather than slicing the metaphorical knot with brute force (as legend has it), this article shines a modest but revealing light on the history and principles of US defamation law to assist foreign jurists with its many technicalities and often perplexing uses. Continue reading >>