About this episode

The episode discusses the evolution of libel laws and the impact of the press on public figures, featuring guest Carson Holloway.

Having departed from the founders' understanding of libel, the American Court of today declines to protect the reputation of public figures—a gap that has been abused by the press to run unfounded narratives. Author of Liberty to Libel Carson Holloway joins the hosts this week to trace the morphing values of the 19th and 20th centuries, and to advocate a restoration of older principles. Meanwhile, Spencer Pratt narrowly lost to Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman in the L.A. mayoral race following a sudden wave of mail-in ballots, highlighting California’s lax voting standards. Recommended: No Liberty to Libel: The Constitutional Case Against New York Times v. Sullivan , by Carson Holloway Is California’s Election ‘Rigged’? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

People in this episode

Guest: Carson Holloway

Topics covered

• libel
• press
• public figures
• California elections
• voting standards
• 19th century values
• 20th century values

Keywords

• libel
• defamation
• press freedom
• California elections
• public figures
• Carson Holloway
• Nithya Raman
• Spencer Pratt

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Claremont Institute

Books & works: Liberty to Libel, No Liberty to Libel: The Constitutional Case Against New York Times v. Sullivan

More episodes of The American Mind Podcast

• Aliens in America · June 11, 2026 · 5 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The American Mind Podcast podcast page.