New York Times Co. v. United States
United States Supreme Court
403 U.S. 713 (1971)
Relevant factsFree
The New York Times and Washington Post (defendants) began publishing excerpts from a classified Defense Department study on Vietnam War decision-making, and the United States (plaintiff) sued in separate district courts seeking injunctions against further publication on national-security grounds. The district courts in both cases declined to issue the injunctions, and while the appeals were proceeding, the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
IssueFree
Whether the government has met the heavy burden required to justify a prior restraint enjoining newspapers from publishing classified information on national-security grounds.