(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch, the public interest group that fights government corruption, expressed indignation today with a decision by the a panel in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to reject Judicial Watch’s appeal of Gennifer Flowers’ lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.  The lawsuit alleges Ms. Flowers was subjected to a vicious smear campaign orchestrated by Hillary Clinton and carried out by former Clinton administration aides James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.  Ms. Flowers was targeted after she publicly confessed to having a long-term affair with former President Clinton.

Ms. Flowers’ lawsuit was originally dismissed by a lower court, which found that Judicial Watch could not prove the defendants acted with actual malice, or knowledge of the falsity of their statements, prompting Judicial Watch's appeal.  Judicial Watch presented evidence, however, that both Carville and Stephanopoulos were well aware the statements they made about Ms. Flowers were false, yet continued to repeat them publicly in order to destroy her reputation.  

The court had also previously dismissed Judicial Watch's conspiracy charge against Hillary Clinton, ruling the statute of limitations had expired.  However, Judicial Watch proved Carville and Stephanopoulos made defamatory statements about Ms. Flowers at the behest of Hillary Clinton up to 1998.  Judicial Watch filed its lawsuit in 1999, well within the 3-year statute of limitations.

Judicial Watch was denied the opportunity to present oral arguments in this appeal when the appellate court, mere hours after having verbally confirmed the date and time for the argument, indicated that the Flowers case would be considered on the briefs and without oral argument.

“Any village idiot looking at the facts would conclude there was malice here,” said Ms. Flowers, who is now the spokesperson for Nola’s Ark, a non-profit organization assisting New Orleans’ policemen and firemen repair their homes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  “I am extremely disappointed with this judgment.”

“Mrs. Clinton will use any means necessary to destroy people who interfere with her pursuit of power, and unless she is held accountable, she will never stop.  Nevertheless, we are pleased that, in the course of this litigation, Hillary Clinton and her minions had to account to the courts,” said JW President Tom Fitton.  “In this instance, our court system was too deferential to the politically powerful at the expense of an American citizen.”

Judicial Watch is currently considering an appeal of the Ninth Circuit ruling.

Judicial Watch is a non-partisan, educational foundation organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code dedicated to fighting government corruption.

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