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This is Fresh Air.

I'm Terry Gross, a trial a schedule to begin Monday that is the highest profile case so far to test

whether allies of Donald Trump will be held accountable for spreading falsehoods about the

2020 election.

That's how my guest Jeremy Peter is described the $1.6 billion defamation suit filed against Fox

News by Dominion Voting Systems, which manufactures voting machines that were used in several

battleground states in the 2020 presidential election. Dominion claims that Fox's hosts and

commentators falsely stated that Dominion was part of a conspiracy to steal votes from Donald Trump

with a larger goal of stealing the election.

Fox's defense revolves around the First Amendment. This case is likely to impact the future of Fox,

other media organizations, First Amendment law, and elections. What makes it especially fascinating

is the documents that were released as part of the lawsuit's filings, including internal emails

and messages, which show that many Fox hosts and executives didn't believe the claims of voter

fraud that they broadcast on Fox. Jeremy Peters has been reporting on the case. He covers the media

and its intersection with politics law and culture for the New York Times. He's also the author of

the book Insurgency, how Republicans lost their party and got everything they ever wanted.

We recorded our interview yesterday morning.

Jeremy Peters, welcome to Fresh Air. Just give us an overview of why this case is so important.

What's its stake? In the largest sense, it's that very few people have been held to account for

the widespread lies that swirled around the 2020 presidential election. No player as significant

...