# 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](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1931-us-near-v-minnesota-gag-law)
- Source: Near v. Minnesota, 283 U.S. 697 (1931). https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/283/697/
- 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.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/121. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.