The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from right-wing commentator and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, effectively upholding a $1.4 billion defamation judgment against him for spreading false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. The Superme Cout did not provide an explanation for its decision.
By rejecting the appeal, the high court allowed the judgment—originally imposed after Jones was found liable in 2021—to stand. The lawsuits, brought by the families of victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, accused Jones of defamation and emotional harm stemming from his repeated false statements about the tragedy.
Last week, Jones had asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block the enforcement of the judgment while justices considered whether to review his case. Jones’ legal team argued that the staggering amount was impossible to pay, calling it a “financial death penalty” imposed on a media figure whose broadcasts reached millions. Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied that request on Monday, following the Court’s broader decision not to take up the appeal.
In 2022, a six-member Connecticut jury ordered Jones to pay $965 million in damages to 15 plaintiffs- the families of the victims – citing defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of state law. A month later, a judge added an additional $474 million in punitive damages, bringing the total to more than $1.4 billion. Jones’ legal team argued in court filings that the amount was “impossible to pay.”
Jones, who founded the media outlet InfoWars, spent years repeatedly promoting the false narrative that the Sandy Hook shooting wasn’t real, and the events were staged by “crisis actors.” to push for stricter gun control. In reality, 20 first-graders, six educators, the shooter Adam Lanza and his mother died in the 2012 school shooting. During the defamation trial, relatives of victims and an FBI agent testified that they were subjected to threats and harassment from Jones’ followers who believed his conspiracy theories. In a separate Texas case, Jones acknowledged under oath that the Sandy Hook shooting was “100% real.” Nonetheless, he continued to criticize the Connecticut proceedings, labeling them a “kangaroo court” and claiming his First Amendment rights had been violated.
Following the judgments, Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, filed for bankruptcy. In a bizarre twist, the satirical outlet The Onion attempted to purchase InfoWars during bankruptcy proceedings, but a judge blocked the sale last December. According to Jones’ attorneys, efforts to sell InfoWars are still ongoing.
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