Judge in Sarah Palin libel trial asks her weird question then points out his wife in court | indy100

Sarah Palin's Defamation Lawsuit Against The New York Times Has Begun

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The trial of Sarah Palin vs. New York Times is underway and so far some great one-liners have come out of it.

On Thursday, court resumed in lower Manhattan, where Palin continued her testimony from the day before and the New York Times began their cross-examination. But before the court took a short break, District Judge Jed Rakoff, asked Palin an interesting question.

Twitter user, @southpawnyc, live-tweeted from the courtroom sharing interesting moments as the trial unravels, and couldn't help but share the strange interaction.

Before leaving for a break, Judge Rakoff asks Governor Palin \u201cis it true that you don\u2019t dance?\u201d She confirms, and Rakoff tells her she is \u201cmissing one of the great joys in life\u201d and points out his wife, who\u2019s a ballroom dance instructor, sitting in the courtroom today.
— southpaw (@southpaw) 1644509781

Apparently, Judge Rakoff asked Palin if she dances then pointed to his wife across the courtroom and told Palin his wife was a dance instructor, which many found strange and potentially inappropriate.

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Judge schmoozing with a plaintiff....\nWell isn't that special.
— Yznhymer (@Yznhymer) 1644510084

That\u2019s really not appropriate, I gotta say.
— Sean Hecht (@Sean Hecht) 1644509922

Other thought the Judge's interaction inadvertently kind.

I have been in court twice, as plaintiff and defendant. I liked the few brief moments when the judge talked normal talk to me. It never made me doubt the legitimacy of the proceedings. It made me feel that we were all humans. Court cases are weird, conversation is not. \u00af\(\u30c4)/\u00af
— Abstract Painter Rob Middleton (@Abstract Painter Rob Middleton) 1644513138

The trial began on Tuesday after Covid delays. Palin sued the New York Times in 2017 over an editorial published that correlated a map circulated by Palin's PAC that showed certain electoral districts to the 2011 Tucson shooting that left Rep Gabby Giffords severely injured.

Palin took to the stand on Wednesday where she spoke about her life and career as a politician.

The libel suit is going up against the precedent set by New York Times Co v Sullivan (1964) which states the public figure is responsible for proving a publication acted with actual malice.

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