Sarah Palin tests positive for COVID-19, delaying start of New York Times defamation trial


Sarah Palin's New York Times defamation trial isn't beginning on Monday after all, as the former Alaska governor has tested positive for COVID-19.
Jury selection in the trial was scheduled to begin on Monday after Palin sued the newspaper over an editorial. But Judge Jed Rakoff announced Monday morning that Palin had tested positive for the coronavirus, CNN reports. "She is, of course, unvaccinated," the judge said.
Palin's lawyer said she wanted to be present during jury selection and testify live, according to The New York Times. So after Palin took another COVID-19 test on Monday morning, the judge announced the trial's start would be rescheduled for Feb. 3, The Washington Post reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The closely-watched trial comes after Palin sued the Times over a 2017 editorial linking an ad by her PAC to the 2011 shooting of then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D). The Times quickly issued a correction noting that the original editorial "incorrectly stated that a link existed between political rhetoric and the 2011 shooting."
Palin has said she is refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, vowing at a conservative event in September, "It'll be over my dead body that I'll have to get a shot." In September 2021, she claimed "I believe in science and I have not taken the shot," citing the fact that she previously had COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said those who have had COVID-19 should still get vaccinated.
News that Palin had tested positive for COVID-19 came after New York magazine's Shawn McCreesh reported on Saturday that the former governor had been spotted dining at a restaurant on New York City's Upper East Side.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
Merz's coalition deal: a 'betrayal' of Germany?
Talking Point With liberalism, freedom and democracy under threat globally, it's a time for 'giants' – but this is a 'coalition of the timid'
By The Week UK
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US