"Prosecutors in Paiute tribal court in Northern Nevada on Monday made discretion the better part of valor as they wisely decided not to respond to tribe member Patty Hicks' motion to dismiss libel charges against her. That prompted tribal court judge Gene O'Brien to throw out the case.

Ms. Hicks, a 60-year-old great-grandmother, could have been sentenced to as much as six months in jail if found guilty on a misdemeanor charge for supposedly libeling Water Resource Coordinator Elveda Martinez in an e-mail which may or may not have been sent from tribal lands."

Get the Story:
EDITORIAL: Free to criticize (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 2/11)

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Tribal judge dismisses libel complaint against critic (2/10)
E-mail leads to libel charges against tribal member (01/07)