anti-SLAPP law

noun

an·​ti-SLAPP law ˌan-tē-ˈslap- How to pronounce anti-SLAPP law (audio)
ˌan-tī-
plural anti-SLAPP laws
: a law intended to prevent SLAPP suits
Ken Paulson, who directs the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, said anti-SLAPP laws are like "free-speech insurance." "The key to an anti-SLAPP law is to prevent people with a lot of money and resources from intimidating people from saying anything negative about them," he said.Kim Bellware

Examples of anti-SLAPP law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This type of retaliatory litigation is precisely what California’s anti-SLAPP laws were enacted to prevent. Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2025 California’s anti-SLAPP law protects against frivolous lawsuits. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025 In March, a jury in North Dakota, which does not have an anti-SLAPP law, found the environmental organization Greenpeace liable for more than $660 million for its role in protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline. Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 22 Apr. 2025 The big picture: North Carolina is one of a handful of states without an anti-SLAPP law, according to the Institute for Free Speech, which protects people from frivolous lawsuits intended to keep them quiet. Alexandria Sands, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025 Such an outcome would have an obvious chilling effect on other environmental groups – the kind of result that anti-SLAPP laws are designed to prevent. Jennifer Safstrom, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025 As of January, 35 states and the District of Columbia have anti-SLAPP laws, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025 Protection varies from state to state Unlike many other states, North Dakota does not have an anti-SLAPP law. Jennifer Safstrom, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025 Sloane’s legal team is also asking Judge Lewis Liman to award them legal fees under New York’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects against lawsuits intended to suppress free speech — particularly those filed by people with bottomless funds. Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-SLAPP law was in 1991

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Cite this Entry

“Anti-SLAPP law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-SLAPP%20law. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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