On March 31, Don Blankenship, a leading candidate for the Constitution Party presidential nomination, won a procedural victory in his defamation lawsuit against the National Republican Senatorial Committee and many large media companies. Blankenship v Napolitano, s.d.W.V., 2:19cv-236.

Here is the opinion. Some of the defendants were excused from the lawsuit, often because they showed they have virtually no readership in West Virginia. The basis for the lawsuit is that many media figures labelled Blankenship a “felon.” He was convicted of the misdemeanor of conspiring to violate federal mine safety laws in 2016, but he was never convicted of a felony, and the evidence so far suggests that the media reporters and commentators knew that, but used the term “felon” anyway. Now there will be a trial. Blankenship will need to establish that the groups he sued had malice against him. Thanks to Frank Fluckiger for this news.