Controversial right-wing figure Alex Jones has petitioned the US Supreme Court to temporarily suspend a staggering $1.5 billion defamation judgment against him, which threatens the forced sale of his media company, Infowars. The judgment stems from Jones’ repeated false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. Jones argues that selling Infowars to satirical news site The Onion, backed by the victims’ families, would cause irreparable harm to him and his 30 million followers. The sale was previously rejected in a bankruptcy auction last year. Jones is now seeking to pause the judgment while his appeal is considered, with the Supreme Court expected to review his application privately on Friday. His legal team contends that Jones, as a media defendant, should be protected under the First Amendment, warning that the judgment could set a dangerous precedent for journalists, stifling free speech. Jones’ attorneys also claim the bankruptcy auction was marred by collusion, a claim dismissed by the court. In his application, Jones warned of “irreparable injury” if Infowars is sold to its “ideological nemesis” and dismantled. The Sandy Hook shooting, which claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults, remains one of the deadliest school massacres in US history. Jones, who has since acknowledged the attack as “100% real,” previously propagated baseless conspiracy theories, accusing victims’ families of being “crisis actors” and claiming the tragedy was staged to restrict gun rights.
Alex Jones asks US Supreme Court to block billion-dollar defamation ruling against him
