▁States ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁decision ▁under ▁which ▁prior ▁rest raint ▁on ▁publication ▁was ▁found ▁to ▁viol ate ▁freedom ▁of ▁the ▁press ▁as ▁protected ▁under ▁the ▁First ▁Am end ment . ▁This ▁principle ▁was ▁applied ▁to ▁free ▁speech ▁generally ▁in ▁subsequent ▁juris pr ud ence . ▁The ▁Court ▁ruled ▁that ▁a ▁Minnesota ▁law ▁that ▁target ed ▁publish ers ▁of ▁" mal icious " ▁or ▁" sc and alous " ▁newsp apers ▁viol ated ▁the ▁First ▁Am end ment ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁Constitution ▁( as ▁applied ▁through ▁the ▁Four teenth ▁Am end ment ). ▁Leg al ▁scholar ▁and ▁column ist ▁Anthony ▁Lewis ▁called ▁Near ▁the ▁Court ' s ▁" first ▁great ▁press ▁case ". ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁later ▁a ▁key ▁preced ent ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁Co . ▁v . ▁United ▁States ▁( 1 9 7 1 ), ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁Court ▁ruled ▁against ▁the ▁N ixon ▁administration ' s ▁attempt ▁to ▁en join ▁publication ▁of ▁the ▁Pent agon ▁Pap ers . ▁ ▁Background ▁of ▁the ▁case ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 7 , ▁J . ▁M . ▁Near , ▁who ▁has ▁been ▁described ▁as ▁" anti - C atholic , ▁anti - S emit ic , ▁anti - black , ▁and ▁anti - l abor " ▁began ▁publishing ▁The ▁Saturday ▁Press ▁in ▁Min ne apolis ▁with ▁Howard ▁A . ▁Gu il ford , ▁a ▁former ▁mayor al ▁candidate ▁who ▁had ▁been ▁conv icted ▁of ▁criminal ▁lib el . ▁ ▁The ▁paper ▁claimed ▁that ▁Jewish ▁gang s ▁were ▁" p ract ically ▁r uling