13.4 | Freedom of the Press

prior restraint

censorship of information before it is published

gag order

an order by a judge barring the press from publishing certain types of information about a pending court case

sequester

kept in isolation

Near v. Minnesota

1931: Court ruled the Minnesota law unconstitutional b/c it involved prior restraint; free press means freedom from government censorship

New York Times Co. v. United States

1971: the Pentagon Papers case: Court ruled that stopping publication would be prior restraint - "the press is to serve the governed, not the governors"

Sheppard v. Maxwell

1966: Overturned a murder conviction based on unfair pretrial publicity and ordered a new trial

shield laws

Laws that give reporters some protection against having to reveal their sources in state courts

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. FCC

1997: Court ruled cable operators are not entitled to maximum First Amendment protections

Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union

1997: Court ruled that speech on the Internet was closer to print media than broadcast media and thus deserves same level of 1st Amendment protection