A Louisiana Supreme Court Justice won a defamation lawsuit against a left-leaning media outlet after it published a piece falsely alleging that he acted in an unethical manner in an abuse case.
The jury issued its verdict on Monday, holding The Advocate liable for defaming Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeff Hughes, The Hill reported.
A jury sided with Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeff Hughes Monday, finding a local newspaper and two former editors defamed him in a 2019 editorial.
The Iberville Parish jury awarded Hughes $300,000 for an investigative editorial published in Baton Rouge-based publication, The Advocate, according to New Orleans CBS affiliate, WWL-TV. The justice originally sought $10 million in damages for the piece, which highlighted a 20-year-old custody battle that sparked an FBI probe into him.
Hughes’s win suggests the justice was able to prove the outlet acted with “actual malice,” a legal standard of proof needed in defamation cases where a public figure is the defendant. The standard is difficult to meet, as it places the legal burden on the plaintiff to show a respondent either knew a statement was false or recklessly failed to verify it.
“We are pleased that justice was served and Jeff was able to clear his name from this unfortunate defamation,” an attorney for Hughes said following the ruling, as reported by WWL-TV.
The case stemmed from a joint investigation by The Advocate and WWL with the headline, “Our Views: Before Jeff Hughes landed on Louisiana Supreme Court, he made a mockery of justice.”
There's an important defamation case happening this week in Iberville Parish, Louisiana.
— Andrea Gallo (@aegallo) August 19, 2026
Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeff Hughes says @theadvocatebr defamed him in a 2019 editorial. Newspaper's attorney says the case is about 1st Amendment rights. https://t.co/nBNwqXGh8C
The editorial claimed Hughes, then a state judge, failed to recuse himself from a custody case that involved allegations of abuse about 20 years ago. The author alleged that the judge was dating the attorney for the child’s mother.
The author claimed there was a lack of transparency in the judicial disciplinary system and referred to Hughes’ alleged actions as a “mockery of justice” in the headline. The initial report detailed an FBI investigation that produced no charges against Hughes, along with a state Judiciary Commission investigation, and private letters the justice wrote to parties involved in the case.
Hughes corrected the record, pointing out that the attorney representing the child’s mother withdrew from the case months before they entered into a romantic relationship. He filed a lawsuit against The Advocate in 2020, accusing the outlet of defaming him after it erroneously claimed he ruled on the custody case while he was in a relationship with the attorney.
The jury ruled in the judge’s favor and awarded him $300,000 after only 35 minutes of deliberation. The Advocate maintained the integrity of its report. “We respect the jury’s decision regarding The Advocate’s 2019 editorial. We stand by our journalism and remain committed to strong, independent reporting that serves our communities,” the outlet said in a written statement.
