Civil Law Protection from Defamation of Bodies and Persons Acting on Behalf of and in the Interests of the State in the United States

Introduction: currently, legal regulation of relations relating to protection from dissemination of untrue information (from defamation) is among the priorities of most countries. Bodies and persons acting on behalf of and in the interests of the state are also likely to suffer from defamation. Research into the experience of the United States as a country with one of the strongest legal systems appears to be very useful for subsequent application in legislative and law enforcement activities, including in Russian law. Purpose: to determine the capabilities of U.S. authorities and individuals acting on behalf of and in the interests of the state to protect their reputation from defamation. To achieve this goal, the author has studied the provisions of the legislation, judicial practice, and legal doctrine of the United States on the definition of defamation, on ways of committing defamation, on liability for defamation, on immunities from liability for defamation; procedural issues that are resolved by persons (entities) affected by defamation in order to protect themselves. Methods: dialectical method, method of formal logic, methods of theoretical cognition and induction, methods of empirical cognition, etc. Results: the reputation of U.S. agencies and individuals acting on behalf of and in the interests of the state is a significant category. The reputation of such bodies and persons must be protected from defamation not only for the purpose of maintaining the level of their own representation in the eyes of others but also for the purpose of strengthening the reputation of the state as a whole. Conclusions: despite the existence of many rules and conditions for protection against defamation, U.S. authorities and individuals acting on behalf of and in the interests of the state still have to resort to protection.