United States v. New York Times Co., et al.
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
328 F.Supp. 324 (1971)
The New York Times (defendant) published portions of a classified 1968 Pentagon study on the Vietnam War and a summary of a 1965 Defense Department study on the Tonkin Gulf incident. The government sued to enjoin further publication and sought to have all related documents in the Times's possession impounded pending a determination of whether they contained information that could cause "irreparable injury to the national defense," and the court held an in camera proceeding with government witnesses and Times representatives before ruling.
Whether the federal government may seek injunctive relief against a newspaper about to publish information or documents vital to current national security without violating the First Amendment.