Legal threats against publishers
Government-backed legal threats against publishers include defamation suits filed or supported by officials, prior-restraint motions, gag orders sought against ongoing reporting, and the procurement of judicial subpoenas designed to extract source information rather than serve a legitimate evidentiary need. The publication treats this category as distinct from ordinary libel litigation by private actors; the question is whether the state is using its legal advantages — its prosecutors, its lawyers, its ability to fund extended litigation — to deter publication.
Documented entries (1)
2026
FBI Director Kash Patel files $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over reporting on alleged drinking and mismanagement
On April 20, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick over her April 17 article describing what witnesses called "bouts of excessive drinking" and unexplained absences and reporting mismanagement at the bureau. Patel had publicly threatened to sue both before publication — telling the magazine "I'll see you in court — bring your checkbook" — and after the story ran. The Atlantic called the suit "meritless" and said it would "vigorously defend" its reporting and journalists.