Justice Hugo Black offered a strong argument for absolute freedom of the press in a case involving The New York Times when it published material in the 1970s relating to the Vietnam War.

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Justice Hugo Black was a strong advocate for the First Amendment and believed in absolute freedom of the press. He famously wrote in a 1971 Supreme Court case involving The New York Times that "the press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people." This case, known as New York Times Co. v. United States or the Pentagon Papers case, involved classified government documents about the Vietnam War, which the Times published despite attempts by the government to prevent it. Black wrote a concurring opinion in the case, arguing that the First Amendment's protection of the press was paramount and that there were very limited circumstances under which the government could constitutionally limit that protection.

Justice Hugo Black Offered a Strong Argument for Absolute Freedom