Letter of the Law: New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)

On March 29, 1960, the New York Times ran an ad to defend Martin Luther King, Jr. from an Alabama perjury indictment. To solicit funds, the ad included details of police actions against participants in a civil rights demonstration. In response, Montgomery Commissioner L.B. Sullivan filed a libel suit. The Supreme Court ruled that, unless the public figure can prove actual malice, the First Amendment protects the freedom of the press. These words are from the unanimous opinion written by William Brennan. Read the full text here.