Snepp v. United States
United States Supreme Court
444 U.S. 507 (1980)
Former CIA employee Snepp (defendant) had contractually agreed to submit any writings about CIA activities for pre-publication clearance, but published a book without seeking that approval; although the government conceded the book revealed no classified information, it sued for breach of contract, and the district court enjoined future unauthorized publications and imposed a constructive trust on the book's profits, while the court of appeals upheld the injunction but reversed the constructive trust, finding Snepp had a First Amendment right to publish unclassified material.
Whether a contract provision restricting a former public employee's ability to publish information about unclassified government operations violates the employee's constitutional right to free speech.