New York Times Co. v. United States

Definition

A landmark Supreme Court case from 1971 where the court ruled that the First Amendment protected the right of the New York Times to print classified documents (the Pentagon Papers) without risk of government censorship or punishment.

Related terms

Pentagon Papers: Secret Department of Defense study of U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967, which were leaked by Daniel Ellsberg.

Whistleblower: A person who exposes secretive information or activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct.

Classified Information: Material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected.