Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc.
- Decided
- April 18, 1978
- Docket
- 76-944
- Status
- Published
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Cited 4,546 timesNo negative treatment found in this library
What later courts said
- holding that the press and public also enjoy a common-law right of access to judicial records — (untitled) (2005)
- holding that a seal on audiotapes of President Nixon’s voice was proper where the Presidential Recordings Act provided procedures for public use of the tapes — Friedman v. Sebelius (2009)
- holding that the assessment of the common law right of access to information is best left to the discretion of the trial court — Campbell v. United States Department of Justice (2002)
Each line is a later court’s own words about this case, not a summary. Read the opinion before relying on it.
How the opinion begins
Mr. Justice Powell delivered the opinion of the Court.
This case presents the question whether the District Court for the District of Columbia should release to respondents certain tapes admitted into evidence at the trial of petitioner’s former advisers. Respondents wish to copy the tapes for broadcasting and sale to the public. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that the District Court’s refusal to permit immediate copying of the tapes was an abuse of discretion. United States v. Mitchell, 179 U. S. App. D. C. 293, 551 P. 2d 1252 (1976). We granted certiorari, 430 U. S. 944 (1977), and for the reasons that follow, we reverse.
I
Statutes cited
Cite this
Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc., 435 U.S. 589 (1978)Read the full opinion
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