New Times, Inc. v. Isaacks

This is a libel suit brought by a judge and a district attorney against a newspaper and its staff for publishing a satirical article the respondents contend was defamatory. The trial court denied the petitioners’ motions for summary judgment, and the court of appeals affirmed. 91 S.W.3d 844. We reverse the court of appeals’ judgment and render judgment that plaintiffs take nothing.

I

Factual Background

In November 1999, thirteen-year-old Christopher Beamon, a Ponder, Texas seventh grader, was arrested and detained for five days in a juvenile detention facility after the Halloween story he wrote…