Case Name: New York Times Company v. United States
Year: Argued 1971 ; Decided 1971
Result: 6-3 in favor of New York Times
Related Constitutional Issue/ Amendment: 1st Amendment dealing with speech, press, and assembly
Civil Rights or Civil Liberties: Civil Liberties
Significance/ Precedent: The court argued that the vague word "security" should not be used "to abrogate the fundamental law embodied in the First Amendment." They also said that since publication would not cause an inevitable, direct, and immediate event imperiling the safety of American forces, prior restraint was unjustified.
Quote from Majority Opinion: “the press must be left free to publish news, whatever the source, without censorship, injunctions or prior restraints.” "issuing an injunction, a prior restraint, would be a harsh violation of the First Amendment regardless of the “secret” nature of the proposed publishing." “The United States, which brought these actions to enjoin publication in the New York Times and in the Washington Post of certain classified material, has not met the ‘heavy burden of showing justification for the enforcement of such a [prior] restraint."
6-Word Summary: Press can publish information without censorship
Year: Argued 1971 ; Decided 1971
Result: 6-3 in favor of New York Times
Related Constitutional Issue/ Amendment: 1st Amendment dealing with speech, press, and assembly
Civil Rights or Civil Liberties: Civil Liberties
Significance/ Precedent: The court argued that the vague word "security" should not be used "to abrogate the fundamental law embodied in the First Amendment." They also said that since publication would not cause an inevitable, direct, and immediate event imperiling the safety of American forces, prior restraint was unjustified.
Quote from Majority Opinion: “the press must be left free to publish news, whatever the source, without censorship, injunctions or prior restraints.” "issuing an injunction, a prior restraint, would be a harsh violation of the First Amendment regardless of the “secret” nature of the proposed publishing." “The United States, which brought these actions to enjoin publication in the New York Times and in the Washington Post of certain classified material, has not met the ‘heavy burden of showing justification for the enforcement of such a [prior] restraint."
6-Word Summary: Press can publish information without censorship