Supreme Court President Guides to Prevent SLAPP Suits

Matichon•General•169d ago

Reader Briefing

The Supreme Court President has issued new guidance aimed at curbing malicious lawsuits and protecting freedom of expression.

•On May 25, Supreme Court President Adisak Tantivong signed new guidance to prevent bad-faith legal actions.
•The guidance aims to stop the judicial process from being used for harassment or to limit public expression.
•Courts can now dismiss cases at the initial examination stage if they are deemed to be filed in bad faith.
•This initiative seeks to uphold justice and protect citizens exercising their rights, especially in public interest matters.

Overview

•On May 25, Supreme Court President Adisak Tantivong signed Guidance of the Supreme Court President on the Conduct of Bad Faith Litigation in Criminal Cases B.E. 2026.
•The Guidance of the Supreme Court President was issued to provide a framework for inspecting and filtering the exercise of criminal litigation rights in good faith.
•This measure aims to prevent the judicial process from being distorted or used as a tool to harass or limit citizens' freedom of expression.
•The guidance provides criteria for courts to identify and scrutinize civil litigation that may be vexatious, exploitative, or create undue burden on parties.
•Courts are empowered to dismiss cases at the examination stage if it is clearly evident that the filing is in bad faith, in order to ensure swift and appropriate proceedings.
•The guidance specifies circumstances that may raise suspicion of bad-faith litigation, such as filing in distant courts without necessity or filing multiple lawsuits from the same facts.
•This initiative emphasizes the protection of citizen participation in a democracy, particularly when litigation may be used to restrict freedom of expression or pressure those exercising rights in good faith.
•The Office of the Judiciary will publish the guidance in the Royal Gazette for public awareness.

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Key Quotes

Supreme Court President Adisak Tantivong

"To be used as a guideline for inspecting and filtering the exercise of criminal litigation rights to be conducted in good faith and to prevent the judicial process from being distorted or used as a tool to harass or limit citizens' freedom of expression."

เพื่อใช้เป็นแนวทางในการตรวจสอบและกลั่นกรองการใช้สิทธิฟ้องคดีอาญาให้เป็นไปโดยสุจริตและป้องกันมิให้กระบวนการทางศาลถูกนำไปบิดเบือน หรือใช้เป็นเครื่องมือในการกลั่นแกล้งหรือจำกัดเสรีภาพในการแสดงความคิดเห็นของประชาชน

Key Entities

Person

Adisak Tantivong(อดิศักดิ์ ตันติวงศ์)

President of the Supreme Court who issued new guidance on preventing bad-faith litigation.

Supreme Court President(ประธานศาลฎีกา)

The position held by Adisak Tantivong, who issued guidance on legal proceedings.

Law

Guidance of the Supreme Court President on the Conduct of Bad Faith Litigation in Criminal Cases B.E. 2026(คำแนะนำของประธานศาลฎีกาเกี่ยวกับการดำเนินคดีโดยไม่สุจริตในคดีอาญา พ.ศ.2026)

A new set of guidelines issued by the Supreme Court President to prevent lawsuits filed in bad faith.

Organization

Office of the Judiciary(สำนักงานศาลยุติธรรม)

The administrative body responsible for the coordination and dissemination of the Supreme Court President's guidance.

Judiciary(ศาลยุติธรรม)

The judicial system that will implement the new guidance to ensure fair and efficient legal proceedings.