|
|
Article: PRIOR RESTRAINT.(Main)(Editorial)
- Article from:
- Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
- Article date:
- November 21, 1990
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Albany Times Union. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
In refusing to lift a court order barring a television network from broadcasting taped conversations between former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega and his lawyers, the United States Supreme Court appears to have backpedaled from its own traditions. If it signifies a profound change in direction for the court, it threatens free speech itself.
The fundamental issue here is prior restraint, whether a news organization has to seek the permission of a judge or anybody else before it can publish. In this case, it is whether the Cable News Network can air tapes it had obtained of the calls Noriega made from his federal prison cell to his lawyers.
As Justice ...