Good news for the beleaguered New York Times and op-ed columnist Nick Kristof! A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a ruling by a lower court dismissing a defamation lawsuit by Steven J. Hatfill, the former government scientist who the Times had suggested, has been involved in those anthrax mailings of 2001. (It's not all bad news for Hatfill: He collected $4.6 million to settle the case with the Justice Department.) Below, the entire decision by the court for all you legal types.

Dismissal of Suit Against Times Is Upheld [NYT]