Senator Smith, speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate, makes a statement about Ms. Doe, a private citizen, that is false. In order for to prevail at trial, she must prove Senator Smith made the ____________ statement with ____________ because of his status as a ____________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Statements made by senators and representatives on the floor of Congress are privileged and cannot be the proper subject of a defamation lawsuit. The idea behind creating these privileges is to promote the open debate of legislative and judicial matters. Moreover, to prevail, the plaintiff must show not only that the statement was false, but that it was made with actual malice, the knowledge it was false, or the reckless disregard of the truth.

Senator Smith, Speaking on the Floor of the U