Opinion of the Court

[Elli Iacobellis]

In 1963 this court case made it into the Supreme Court. In a unanimous agreement, the court voted in favor of the New York Times. The Supreme Court did not agree with Alabama's Supreme Court when they decided freedom of speech and press don't apply to a paid advertisement.'' The court rejected the idea of citizens who criticize government officials have to speak with one hundred percent truth. In its decision the court stated a libel law that "dampens the vigor and limits the variety of public debate" violates the First and Fourteenth amendments. Justice Brennan, while writing the majority opinion, stated most of the Alabama Court's decisions were "constitutionally defective".

Sources:
h t t p : / / e n c y c l o p e d i a o f a l a b a m a . o r g / f a c e / A r t i c l e . j s p ? i d = h - 2 9 9 0