Branzburg v. Hayes, in re Pappas; United States v. Caldwell, 408 U.S. 205; 92 S. Ct. 2646; 33 L. Ed. 2d 626 (1972) Facts—On November 15, 1969, the Louisville Courier-Journal carried a story under Paul Branzburg’s byline describing in detail…
New York Times Company v. United States, 403 U.S. 713; 91 S. Ct. 2140; 29 L. Ed. 2d 820 (1971) Facts—The U.S. went to district court to enjoin publication of the Pentagon Papers by the New York Times and the…
New York Times Company v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254; 84 S. Ct. 710; 11 L. Ed. 2d 686 (1964) Facts—Sullivan, a City Commissioner of Montgomery County, Alabama, brought a civil action for libel against the New York Times and various…
Martin v. City of Struthers, Ohio, 319 U.S. 141; 63 S. Ct. 862; 87 L. Ed. 1313 (1943) Facts—An ordinance of the city of Struthers made it unlawful for any person distributing circulars or handbills from door to door to…
Bridges v. California (Times-Mirror Co. v. Superior Court of California) 314 U.S. 252; 62 S. Ct. 190; 86 L. Ed. 892 (1941) Facts—While a motion for a new trial was pending in a case involving a dispute between an AFL…
Grosjean v. American Press Co., 297 U.S. 233; 56 S. Ct. 444; 80 L. Ed. 660 (1936) Facts—A group of newspapers in the state of Louisiana brought suit to prevent enforcement of a statute levying a 2 percent gross receipts…
Near v. Minnesota ex rel. Olson, 283 U.S. 697; 51 S. Ct. 625; 75 L. Ed. 1357 (1931) Facts—A Minnesota statute provided for the abatement, as a public nuisance, of a “malicious, scandalous and defamatory newspaper, magazine, or other periodical.”…
Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616; 40 S. Ct. 17; 63 L. Ed. 1173 (1919) Facts—Abrams and four other Russians were indicted for conspiring to violate the Espionage Act. They published two leaflets that denounced the efforts of capitalist…
Rumsfeld v. Forum, 547 U.S. 47; 126 S. Ct. 1297; 164 L. Ed. 2d 156 (2006) Facts—The Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc. (FAIR), an association of law schools and law faculties, challenged the Solomon Amendment, which tied federal…
Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640; 120 S. Ct. 2446; 147 L. Ed. 2d 554 (2000) Facts—The Monmouth Council of the Boy Scouts of America revoked the adult membership of an assistant scoutmaster, James Dale, a former…