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Law School Case Briefs
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Bridges v. California
Supreme Court of the United States (1941) | 314 U.S. 252; 62 S. Ct. 190; 86 L. Ed. 192; 1941 U.S. LEXIS 1084; 159 A.L.R. 1346; 1 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1275
TL;DR: A labor leader and a newspaper were held in contempt for publishing comments on pending court cases. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that such out-of-court speech is protected by the First Amendment unless it creates a "clear and present danger" to the administration of justice.
Legal Significance: This case established that the "clear and present danger" test applies to contempt of court proceedings for out-of-court publications, significantly strengthening First Amendment protections against the judicial power to punish criticism of pending cases.