"Public officers, whose character and conduct remain open to debate and free discussion in the press, find their remedies for false accusations in actions under libel laws providing for redress and punishment, and not in proceedings to restrain the publication of newspapers and periodicals. The general principle that the constitutional guaranty of the liberty of the press gives immunity from previous restraints has been approved in many decisions under the provisions of state constitutions. The importance of this immunity has not lessened. While reckless assaults upon public men, and efforts to bring obloquy upon those who are endeavoring faithfully to discharge official duties, exert a baleful influence and deserve the severest condemnation in public opinion, it cannot be said that this abuse is greater, and it is believed to be less, than that which characterized the period in which our institutions took shape. Meanwhile, the administration of government has become more complex, the opportunities for malfeasance and corruption have multiplied, crime has grown to most serious proportions, and the danger of its protection by unfaithful officials and of the impairment of the fundamental security of life and property by criminal alliances and official neglect, emphasizes the primary need of a vigilant and courageous press, especially in great cities. The fact that the liberty of the press may be abused by miscreant purveyors of scandal does not make any the less necessary the immunity of the press from previous restraint in dealing with official misconduct. Subsequent punishment for such abuses as may exist is the appropriate remedy consistent with constitutional privilege."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Justices of the Supreme Court of the United StatesLawyers from New York (state)United States Secretaries of StateUnited States presidential candidates, 1908United States presidential candidates, 1916
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
', 283 U.S. 697 (1931).
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Evans_Hughes
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes (11 April 1862 โ 27 August 1948) was a Republican politician and jurist who served as Governor of New York, United States Secretary of State, Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the United States.
30 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Charles Evans Hughes โ
Related Quotes
"We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the judges say it is, and the judiciary is the safeguard ofโฆ"
"While democracy must have its organizations and controls, its vital breath is individual liberty."
"No greater mistake can be made than to think that our institutions are fixed or may not be changed for the worse. โฆ Iโฆ"
"A man has to live with himself, and he should see to it that he always has good company."
"When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free."
"The most ominous spirit of our times, as it seems to me, is the indication of the growth of an intolerent spirit. It โฆ"
"โฆ[I]n three notable instances the Court has suffered severely from self-inflicted wounds. The first of these was the โฆ"
"The power of administrative bodies to make finding of fact which may be treated as conclusive, if there is evidence bโฆ"
"We still proclaim the old ideals of liberty but we cannot voice them without anxiety in our hearts. The question is nโฆ"
"[Dissents are] appeals to the brooding spirit of the law, to the intelligence of another day."