House Passes Libel Tourism Bill

The House of Representatives has passed a good bill that would prevent American courts from enforcing libel judgments obtained in foreign countries if those countries provide less free speech protection than the United States does.

H.R. 6146 provides that ”a domestic court shall not recognize or enforce a foreign judgment concerning defamation unless the domestic court determines that the foreign judgment is consistent with the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States.”

H.R. 6146 would give U.S. authors and publishers a basis for attacking foreign judgments in domestic courts as the New York Libel Tourism Protection Act does.