Senate Bill 137

Background: Senate Bill 137 would establish procedures for anti-SLAPP actions to protect the exercise of a person's constitutional rights, including freedom of speech.

Our Stance: The ACLU of South Dakota supports Senate Bill 137.

Free speech and healthy debate are the cornerstones of a thriving democracy. SLAPP suits (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) weaponize the legal system to penalize protest and silence free speech. They have become a common tool for intimidating and silencing criticism through expensive, baseless lawsuits. The real goal of a SLAPP suit is to entangle people in expensive litigation in order to prevent them from engaging in constitutionally protected activities. The threat of legal action as a means of stifling free speech has been used to silence whistleblowers, journalists, and political protesters.