Skip to main content
S 449 111th Congress Senate Law Civil actions and liability First Amendment rights Legal fees and court costs

Free Speech Protection Act of 2009

Introduced: February 13, 2009 See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 23, 2010
Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
Feb 13, 2009
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 13, 2009
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2342-2343)
Feb 13, 2009
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Free Speech Protection Act of 2009 - Allows any U.S. person against whom a lawsuit for defamation is brought in a foreign country for defamation on the basis of the content of any speech by that person that has been published, uttered, or otherwise disseminated in the United States to bring an action in a U.S. district court against any person who, or entity which, brought the suit, if: (1) the speech at issue in the foreign lawsuit does not constitute defamation under U.S. law; and (2) the person or entity which brought the foreign lawsuit serves or causes to be served any documents in connection with such foreign lawsuit on a U.S. person.

Allows the award of treble damages if it is determined by a preponderance of the evidence that the person or entity bringing the foreign lawsuit intentionally engaged in a scheme to suppress rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution by discouraging publishers or other media from publishing, or by discouraging financial supporters from employing, retaining, or supporting the research, writing, or other speech of an individual.


What's happening now February 23, 2010

Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1