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.
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
→
|
| court |
United States District Court for the Central District of California
→
|
| defendant |
Daniel Ellsberg
→
|
| defendantEmployerAtTime |
RAND Corporation
→
|
| defendantFormerEmployer |
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 |
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
→
|
| 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 leak
→
|
| timePeriod |
early 1970s
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Espionage Act of 1917
→
|
usedInCase |