Which case held that the press cannot be censored in advance except in exceptional circumstances?

• A. Near v. Minnesota (1931)
• B. New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)
• C. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
• D. Roth v. United States (1957)

Answer: (B)

Freedom of the press and the prohibition on prior restraint. The press normally cannot be censored before publication; the government may only justify stopping publication in exceptional circumstances, especially when national security is directly at risk and there would be immediate, irreparable harm. In the Pentagon Papers case, the Court said the government bears a heavy burden to show such a need for prior restraint, and the mere claim of classified information isn’t enough. Because that standard wasn’t met, publication could proceed. This emphasis on exceptional circumstances for prior restraint is what makes this case the best answer. The other cases involve related or different issues—Near v. Minnesota reinforces that prior restraints are disfavored in general, Hazelwood deals with school-sponsored student speech, and Roth concerns obscenity rather than pre-publication censorship.