Claim 121

The Court said the central purpose of the free-press guarantee was to stop government from restraining publication in advance, while leaving a publisher open to being sued for libel afterward.

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

Statement: The Court said the central purpose of the free-press guarantee was to stop government from restraining publication in advance, while leaving a publisher open to being sued for libel afterward.
Field: stated_justification
Value: Prior restraint doctrine
About: incident 1931-us-near-v-minnesota-gag-law
Source: Near v. Minnesota, 283 U.S. 697 (1931)
Publisher: Justia US Supreme Court Center
Method: court record
Checked: 2026-09-22
Confidence: medium
Status: current
Source date: 1931-06-01

Quotation from the source

The chief purpose of the guaranty is to prevent previous restraints upon publication. The libeler, however, remains criminally and civilly responsible for his libels.