United States v. Daniel Ellsberg

E55133

United States v. Daniel Ellsberg was the landmark criminal case against the former military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers, leading to dismissed charges after revelations of government misconduct.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf criminal case
federal prosecution
landmark legal case
alsoKnownAs Pentagon Papers criminal case against Daniel Ellsberg
charge theft of government property
unauthorized disclosure of national defense documents
unauthorized possession of national defense documents
violating the Espionage Act of 1917
coDefendant Anthony Russo
connectedTo Watergate scandal
country United States of America
surface form: United States
court United States District Court for the Central District of California
defendant Daniel Ellsberg
defendantEmployerAtTime RAND Corporation
defendantFormerEmployer Department of Defense
surface form: U.S. Department of Defense
defendantOccupationAtTime military analyst
endDate 1973
evidence classified Department of Defense study on U.S. decision-making in Vietnam
impact became a reference point in later leak prosecutions
strengthened public scrutiny of government secrecy during wartime
involves Pentagon Papers
White House Plumbers
judge William Matthew Byrne Jr.
jurisdiction federal judiciary of the United States
surface form: United States federal court system
legalSignificance highlighted limits on government prosecution when misconduct occurs
influenced later debates on classification and leaks
location Los Angeles, California, United States of America
surface form: Los Angeles, California
maximumPotentialSentence over 100 years in prison
mediaCoverage extensive national media attention
numberOfCountsInitially dozens of felony counts
outcome all charges dismissed
prosecutor United States government
reasonForOutcome break-in at defendant’s psychiatrist’s office
government misconduct
illegal government wiretapping of the defendant
improper government interference with the defense
relatedCase New York Times Co. v. United States
United States v. Anthony Russo
relatesTo Espionage Act prosecutions
First Amendment issues
Vietnam War
freedom of the press
government secrecy
whistleblowing
startDate 1971
subjectOf Pentagon Papers
surface form: Pentagon Papers leak
timePeriod early 1970s

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Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Espionage Act of 1917 usedInCase United States v. Daniel Ellsberg
William Matthew Byrne Jr. notableEvent United States v. Daniel Ellsberg
this entity surface form: Pentagon Papers trial of Daniel Ellsberg
United States v. Anthony Russo relatedTo United States v. Daniel Ellsberg
Anthony Russo legalCase United States v. Daniel Ellsberg
this entity surface form: United States v. Anthony Russo and Daniel Ellsberg