Zenger trial
E456443
The Zenger trial was a landmark 1735 colonial American court case that helped establish the principle of freedom of the press by acquitting printer John Peter Zenger of libel for criticizing the royal governor.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Crown v. John Peter Zenger | 1 |
| John Peter Zenger libel trial | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
colonial American court case
ⓘ
freedom of the press case ⓘ legal case ⓘ |
| appliesLaw | English common law of seditious libel ⓘ |
| chronology | 18th century ⓘ |
| concernsPublication | New-York Weekly Journal NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country | Province of New York NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| court | Supreme Court of Judicature of the Province of New York NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| date | 1735 ⓘ |
| endDate | 1735-08-04 ⓘ |
| hasAccusation | seditious libel ⓘ |
| hasComplainant | Governor William Cosby NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasDefendant | John Peter Zenger NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasDefenseArgument |
jury may judge law as well as fact
ⓘ
truth should be a defense to libel ⓘ |
| hasDefenseLawyer |
Andrew Hamilton
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
William Smith Sr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasJudge | James DeLancey NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasJury | colonial jury ⓘ |
| hasLanguage | English ⓘ |
| hasPlaintiff | Crown v. Zenger NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasProsecutor | Attorney General Richard Bradley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced |
First Amendment press freedom tradition
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
development of freedom of the press in the United States ⓘ |
| involvesPerson |
Andrew Hamilton
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
James DeLancey NERFINISHED ⓘ John Peter Zenger NERFINISHED ⓘ Richard Bradley NERFINISHED ⓘ William Cosby NERFINISHED ⓘ William Smith Sr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| jurisdiction | British America NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| legalCharge | libel ⓘ |
| location | New York City ⓘ |
| notableFor |
advancing freedom of the press in America
ⓘ
establishing truth as a defense in the eyes of the public ⓘ influencing American views on press liberty ⓘ |
| partOf |
colonial history of the United States
ⓘ
legal history of New York ⓘ |
| precededBy | arrest of John Peter Zenger in 1734 ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
freedom of speech ⓘ history of American journalism ⓘ |
| result | acquittal ⓘ |
| startDate | 1735-08-04 ⓘ |
| subject |
criticism of colonial government
ⓘ
freedom of the press ⓘ |
| verdict | not guilty ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Crown v. John Peter Zenger
this entity surface form:
John Peter Zenger libel trial