Hennessy, Michael

Abstract SLAPPs, or "Strategic Lawsuits Against Pubic Participation," refer to the unconstitutional use of civil litigation as a tool to eliminate opposition in public policy debates. This paper looks at the chilling effect of SLAPPs on the encouragement that activists who know about SPLAPPS would giver others interested in becoming politically involved. Factorial survey data (vignette studies) suggest that SLAPP-savvy activists would advise other citizzens against speaking out. The results emphasize...