Jury sides with Louisiana Supreme Court justice in rare defamation win for public official

A Louisiana jury ruled Monday that Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeff Hughes was defamed by The Advocate and two former editors over a 2019 editorial, awarding him $300,000 in Iberville Parish, according to WWL-TV. Hughes had sought $10 million after the piece focused on a 20-year-old custody dispute that later triggered an FBI probe into him. To win, Hughes showed the outlet acted with “actual malice,” a demanding standard for public-figure defamation cases. The editorial argued Hughes failed to recuse himself and alleged a romantic relationship during the proceedings. The Advocate later revised an editor’s note, and Hughes disputed the timeline.