Landmark Communications, Inc. v. Virginia
The Pilot had reported on October 4, 1975, that Judge H. Warrington Sharp, who sat on the Virginia Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, was under an investigation by a judicial fitness panel.All states had confidentiality requirements to avoid use of the disciplinary inquiry as retribution against a judge, but only Virginia and Hawaii provided for criminal penalties for disclosure.The court concluded that the "requirement of confidentiality in Commission proceedings" served three purposes: Abrams wrote that his primary argument was straightforward: the newspaper published a true account and had obtained the information legally, and the alleged offense was simply reporting a complaint about how a public official performed his civic role.Justice Byron White questioned Kulp about whether the case was really about not criticizing public officials, a constitutional right, and whether he would defend a statute calling for confidentiality for protection of the judge.Years later, when I saw Albert Brooks play a television journalist in Broadcast News who perspired so much when on the air that his shirt looked like he had just returned from a swim, I wondered if I had presented the same appearance after my Landmark argument."
Supreme Court of the United StatesL. Ed. 2dU.S. LEXISWarren E. BurgerWilliam J. Brennan Jr.Potter StewartByron WhiteThurgood MarshallHarry BlackmunLewis F. Powell Jr.William RehnquistJohn P. StevensUnited States Supreme CourtNorfolkThe Virginian-PilotFloyd AbramsLandmark CommunicationsVirginia Juvenile and Domestic Relations District CourtVirginiaHawaiimisdemeanorSupreme Court of Virginiastare decisisAttorney Generaloral argumentAlbert BrooksList of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 435Viking PressLandmark Media EnterprisesThe Anderson NewsBrunswick BeaconCitrus County ChronicleEvergreen NewspapersThe Canyon CourierClear Creek CourantThe GazetteThe Kentucky StandardLas Vegas OpticThe Leader-UnionThe Oldham EraVoice of The HawkeyesDominion EnterprisesU.S. Supreme CourtFreedom of the Press ClauseFirst Amendment to the United States ConstitutionPrior restraintscensorshipPatterson v. ColoradoNear v. MinnesotaLovell v. City of GriffinTucker v. TexasHannegan v. Esquire, Inc.Lamont v. Postmaster GeneralSheppard v. MaxwellNew York Times Co. v. United StatesMiami Herald Publishing Co. v. TornilloNebraska Press Ass'n v. StuartTory v. CochranPrivacyTime, Inc. v. HillCox Broadcasting Corp. v. CohnFlorida Star v. B. J. F.PrivilegesBranzburg v. HayesHouchins v. KQED, Inc.Cohen v. Cowles Media Co.Grosjean v. American Press Co.Associated Press v. United StatesMinneapolis Star Tribune Co. v. CommissionerDefamationBeauharnais v. IllinoisNew York Times Co. v. SullivanCurtis Publishing Co. v. ButtsGreenbelt Cooperative Publishing Ass'n, Inc. v. BreslerGertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.Time, Inc. v. FirestoneBose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc.McDonald v. SmithHustler Magazine v. FalwellHarte-Hanks Communications, Inc. v. ConnaughtonMilkovich v. Lorain Journal Co.Broadcast mediaRed Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCCFCC v. Pacifica FoundationCBS, Inc. v. FCCTurner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. FCCBartnicki v. VopperCopyrighted materialsZacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.Harper & Row v. Nation EnterprisesEldred v. Ashcroft