![]() The senator’s office had sought immunity under the speech and debate clause. Hanson (2007), the Court ruled that lower courts did not have jurisdiction in a claim against a U.S. Proxmire (1979), the Court permitted a defamation suit against a senator for derogatory comments made in a newsletter and in forums other than the Senate floor. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, used with permission from the Associated Press) Supreme Court allowed defamation suit against senator for newsletter comments But the lower courts did not agree with his arguments and the Supreme Court declined to review the case. Bob Menendez argued the speech and debate clause shielded him from prosecution on bribery and fraud charges related to gifts and campaign donations he accepted. It refused to extend the privilege to the subsequent publication of materials read in congressional debates - in this case the Pentagon Papers. United States (1972), the Supreme Court extended the speech and debate clause to protect congressional aides, described as “alter egos,” for work in connection with such speeches, but limited the privilege to “legislative activity.” 502 (1972), the Court distinguished between “purely legislative activities,” which the Speech and Debate Clause protected, and merely political activities, which it did not. In Gravel v. The general purpose of the speech and debate clause is to protect members of Congress from having to worry that anything they say in the course of legislative activities will implicate them in a lawsuit. ![]() Speech and debate clause protects Congress members from lawsuits over legislative speech The clause, whose inclusion reflected the development in England of an independent Parliament, states that “for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.” It follows a provision, now largely moot, that prevents the arrest, for civil cases, of members traveling to or from sessions of Congress. ![]() Constitution, was written before the First Amendment and has a more limited scope. The speech and debate clause, which appears in Article 1, section 6, of the U.S. (AP Photo/Henry Griffin, used with permission from the Associated Press) William Proxmire (pictured here) in a newsletter criticizing a behavioral scientist's work as a waste of taxpayer dollars was not protected under the speech and debate clause. ![]() The Supreme Court held that the remarks of U.S. The speech and debate clause of the Constitution protects Congress members from lawsuits for what they say during legislative activity. ![]()
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