What is prior restraint?

Question

thanks so much.. its a question in one of my govt classes

Answer 1

Think of it as "censorship before the fact." Basically, it's when someone (i.e., government) stops something from being said, printed, published, etc. before it happens. It's a big deal because it's essentially a way for someone (i.e, the government) to interfere with your first amendment right to freedom of speech, press, expression, etc.

If you're really interested in this topic, look up and read about the case New York Times v. US. It's about how the government tried to use prior restraint to stop newspapers from printing information which the government claimed would be a threat to national security (because the documents had to do with the war).