Texas Free Speech Lawyer Takes Lessons From Depp Case to Europe

Laura Prather wants to bring Texas-style free speech protection to Europe.

Prather, a First Amendment lawyer in Austin, Texas, is headed to Europe on a Fulbright scholarship to study how meritless lawsuits meant to silence critics have impacted human rights. She also plans to push European Union countries to adopt protections against those suits, like “anti-SLAPP” laws in Texas and other US states.

“Much of my career has been trying to remedy the use of the judicial system to harass, punish and silence those who speak truth to power,” Prather said in an interview.

Prather, a partner at Haynes and ...