Zenger Acquitted: Trial That Forged Press Freedom
Andrew Hamilton's defense of printer John Peter Zenger in August 1735 established a revolutionary legal principle: truth could be used as a defense against charges of seditious libel. Zenger had published articles in the New York Weekly Journal criticizing Governor William Cosby's corruption. Colonial law held that any published criticism of government officials was criminal regardless of accuracy. Hamilton, then the most famous lawyer in the colonies, argued that Zenger's publications were true and therefore could not be libelous. The jury acquitted in less than ten minutes. The verdict had no binding legal authority but created a powerful precedent for press freedom that directly influenced the First Amendment fifty years later.
August 4, 1735
291 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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