{
  "id": 529,
  "url": "https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/united-states-v-morison-4th-cir/",
  "final_url": "https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/united-states-v-morison-4th-cir/",
  "title": "United States v. Morison (4th Cir.) (1988)",
  "publisher": "The First Amendment Encyclopedia, Middle Tennessee State University",
  "published_on": "2009",
  "link_state": "live",
  "link_state_since": "2026-09-26T18:11:00Z",
  "wayback_url": null,
  "wayback_saved_at": null,
  "source_kind": "reference",
  "last_checked": "2026-09-26T18:11:00Z",
  "archive_attempts": 0,
  "checks": [
    {
      "checked_at": "2026-09-26T18:11:00Z",
      "checker": "twon-linkcheck/1.0",
      "http_status": 200,
      "final_url": "https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/united-states-v-morison-4th-cir/",
      "observed_state": "live",
      "detail": null
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 772,
      "statement": "The government prosecuted Morison after identifying him as the source of the leaked photographs.",
      "status": "current"
    },
    {
      "id": 773,
      "statement": "Morison held a security clearance at the Naval Intelligence Support Center and had signed an agreement not to disclose classified information.",
      "status": "current"
    },
    {
      "id": 774,
      "statement": "The leaked photographs showed a Soviet aircraft carrier under construction and were published by Jane's in 1984.",
      "status": "current"
    },
    {
      "id": 775,
      "statement": "Morison leaked the satellite photographs to Jane's Defence Weekly.",
      "status": "current"
    },
    {
      "id": 776,
      "statement": "Judge Russell explained that different sections of the Espionage Act covered disclosure to foreign governments and disclosure to others, including the press.",
      "status": "current"
    },
    {
      "id": 777,
      "statement": "The court separately upheld Morison's conviction on the related federal charge of theft of government property.",
      "status": "current"
    },
    {
      "id": 778,
      "statement": "The court held that transmitting information to the media does not give a source special constitutional protection.",
      "status": "current"
    },
    {
      "id": 779,
      "statement": "Morison's case ended with a presidential pardon after the Supreme Court declined to hear it.",
      "status": "current"
    }
  ],
  "incidents": [
    {
      "slug": "1985-us-morison-espionage-act-conviction",
      "title": "United States: Espionage Act conviction of Samuel Loring Morison for leaking satellite photographs to Jane's Defence Weekly, 1985 to 1988"
    }
  ]
}