A Lecture with Justice Jabar: First Amendment Implications of Maine Anti-SLAPP Law

Maine’s anti-SLAPP statute (14 MRS 556) was enacted in 1995 and it has created a legal quagmire for the Maine Supreme Court over these last twenty-six years. Constitutional questions involving the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as well Article I, sections 19 and 20 of the Maine Constitution have been in the forefront of many cases. Conflicts have arisen between an individual’s right to free speech and petition the government under the First Amendment and an individual’s right to access the courts and right to jury trial contained in Article I, sections 19 and 20 of the Maine Constitution.

Justice Jabar is a Supreme Court justice for the state of Maine. He will discuss the progression of Maine cases from the enactment of the statute to the present day.