Sarah Palin tests positive for COVID-19, possibly delaying her defamation trial against the New York Times

• Sarah Palin tested positive for COVID-19 Monday morning.
• It comes just as the trial for her lawsuit against the New York Times was about to begin.
• The judge said he'll await the results of another test before deciding whether to delay the trial.

The trial for Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit against the New York Times may be delayed after the former vice presidential candidate tested positive for COVID-19, the judge overseeing her case announced.

In a federal court in Manhattan, US District Judge Jed Rakoff said that Palin's positive test means he may choose to start proceedings on February 3 instead of Monday morning as originally scheduled.

"She is, of course, unvaccinated," Rakoff said of Palin's diagnosis.

Jury selection for the defamation case was scheduled to begin today, with opening arguments to start shortly afterward.

Rakoff said Palin took an at-home rapid test which was less reliable than the ones used by the courthouse, and that he would await the results of another coronavirus test before deciding whether to move the trial.

Palin has railed against safe coronavirus vaccines, saying in an interview with conservative activist Charlie Kirk in December that "It'll be over my dead body that I'll have to get a shot."

The former Alaska governor sued the Times in 2017 over an editorial that claimed she contributed toward a culture of violent rhetoric in US politics that led to the shooting of a group of Republican congressmen.

The editorial said that a political action committee controlled by Palin had, in 2011, posted an image on Facebook of several congressional districts under crosshairs, including one by Democratic Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was later shot by an anti-government extremist.

The Times corrected the story the next day, admitting that there was no established link between Palin's committee's post and the Giffords shooting. But Palin sued nonetheless, and the case is now headed to trial.

Both parties expect the trial to last a week overall.