Loyola professor who called slavery 'not so bad' loses lawsuit against New York Times

A federal judge in New Orleans has thrown out a lawsuit filed against the New York Times by a Loyola University economics professor who had accused the newspaper of libel.

In January 2014, Walter Block, the Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar endowed chair in economics at Loyola, was quoted in a New York Times article as saying slavery "was not so bad -- you pick cotton and sing songs." The article, "Rand Paul's Mixed Inheritance," was about libertarianism and also quoted Block as saying Woolworth's had the right to exclude blacks from its lunch counters because "no one is compelled to associate with people against their will."

After the story was published, Block argued the quotes were taken out of context and portrayed him in a false light. In a post on the website lewrockwell.com, Block wrote, "... I along with pretty much all other men of good will (sic) think that this institution [slavery] was vicious, depraved and monstrous." He called the piece "a vicious smear" and claimed that reporter Sam Tanenhaus had twisted his words.