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William J. Brennan

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We consider this case against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.
--
Writing for the court, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964)

 
William J. Brennan

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