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Masses Publishing Co. v. Patten

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
244 F. 535 (1917)

Written by Megan Petersen, JD

Facts

Masses Publishing Co. (plaintiff) was a publishing company in New York that put out a monthly “revolutionary journal” called The Masses. The journal was critical of the United States’ involvement in World War I. The August issue contained several cartoons and stories of people exhibiting resistance toward the war effort. Patten, the postmaster of New York, prohibited distribution of the August issue in the mail on the ground that it violated the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917. Masses Publishing Co. sought a preliminary injunction against Patten in federal district court.

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