New York Times Pentagon Papers

In June 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts from the Pentagon Papers, a secret Defense Department history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The paper argued in court that the press had a First Amendment right to publish information vital to the public’s understanding of its government’s policies, even when that information came from classified documents. The Nixon administration tried to stop further publication through injunctions, triggering a major legal battle over prior restraint. Later that same month, the Supreme Court ruled in New York Times Co. v. United States that the government had not met the heavy burden needed to justify censorship, and the Times continued releasing the Pentagon Papers to the public.

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