A defamation trial pitting Sarah Palin against The New York Times was supposed to get started first thing Monday morning—but proceedings have been interrupted after the unvaccinated former Alaska governor tested positive for COVID-19. Palin is suing the paper over a 2017 editorial she says falsely linked her to a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona. But, at the start of the trial on Monday, the judge had an announcement to make. “Ms. Palin has tested positive for coronavirus. She is of course unvaccinated,” said U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff, according to court reporter Frank G. Runyeon. Palin’s attorney then reportedly asked for a seven to 10 day delay in the trial so that she can be present for the jury selection. The Daily Beast has contacted the Southern District of New York for comment.
