Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), 1987-1990: [United States]

The objectives of this data collection were to capture the histories of complex, multiparty, political legal disputes, to measure political "chill," and to test a model of crossinstitutional disputing. A "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation" (SLAPP) was defined as a lawsuit filed against citizens or groups exercising the right to petition the government. Each case violated the First Amendment right "to petition the government for a redress of grievances." The Petition Clause, as it is called, is a fundamental civil right, guaranteeing and encouraging citizen involvement in all aspects of American political decision-making and governance. The collection includes information on the petition action, political context, amount of award or settlement, specific damages requested (no money vs. a specified amount), attorney status, amount of court costs, attorney fees, interest, and number of individuals and organizations involved in the suit. Also included are several sociodemographic variables describing the parties to the litigation, such as marital status, employment, occupation, county and state of residence, political party orientation and membership, and interest group membership.

本数据集的旨在捕捉复杂多边政治法律争端的历程，衡量政治氛围的降温，并测试跨机构争端解决模型。所谓“针对公共参与的策略性诉讼”（SLAPP），是指针对行使其向政府请愿权利的公民或团体提起的诉讼。每一案件均违反了第一修正案中关于“向政府请愿以救济不满”的权利。被称为请愿条款的这一规定，是一项基本的公民权利，保障并鼓励公民参与美国政治决策和治理的各个方面。该收集包括请愿行动、政治背景、赔偿或和解金额、具体请求的损害赔偿（无金钱赔偿与指定金额）、律师状态、法庭费用、律师费、利息以及涉案的个人和组织的数量等信息。此外，还包括描述诉讼各方的社会人口统计变量，如婚姻状况、就业、职业、居住的县和州、政治党派倾向和会员资格以及利益集团会员资格。