Claim 118

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes dissented, warning the ruling treated access to the mail, nearly as essential to free speech as the ability to speak, as something a postmaster could take away.

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 1 source.

Statement: Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes dissented, warning the ruling treated access to the mail, nearly as essential to free speech as the ability to speak, as something a postmaster could take away.
Field: effect_on_reporting
Value: Holmes dissent on mail access
About: incident 1917-us-burleson-mail-ban-milwaukee-leader
Source: United States ex rel. Milwaukee Social Democratic Publishing Co. v. Burleson
Publisher: The First Amendment Encyclopedia, Middle Tennessee State University
Method: court record
Checked: 2026-09-22
Confidence: medium
Status: current

Quotation from the source

The use of the mails is almost as much a part of free speech as the right to use our tongues.