The Court in New York Times Co.v.Sullivan severely limited state power to award monetary damages in libel suits brought by public officials against critics of official conduct.

Question

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The statement accurately describes the holding of the Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. The court ruled that public officials must prove "actual malice" on the part of those accused of defamation, meaning that they knew their statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. This significantly limited the ability of public officials to sue for libel and receive monetary damages.