Nevada Press Association Defends Press Freedom After Courtroom Removal of Reporters

The Nevada Press Association is deeply troubled by the removal of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporters and a photographer from a Clark County courtroom Wednesday after they declined to accept a judge’s condition restricting what they may report, including reporting an alleged victim’s name. 

Judges do not have the constitutional authority to dictate what the press can publish. The First Amendment protects a free press from government censorship and prior restraints, and courts must not impose content-based restrictions on journalists as a condition of access to public proceedings. We stand with the journalists who were exercising their fundamental rights and will continue to defend press freedom and the public’s right to know.

“It is astonishing that Nevada judges continue to deny access to court proceedings and court documents after repeated rulings that find such restrictions blatantly unconstitutional. Such actions will only have the effect of elevating scrutiny on the judiciary for attempting to censor already published details about a high-profile case.” — Bob Conrad, Publisher of "This Is Reno" and President, Nevada Press Association