Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters] – The New York Times was temporarily stopped by a New York court judge from publishing materials regarding Project Veritas. It is a rare action that the newspaper claimed violated the decades of First Amendment protections.

Justice Charles Wood, Westchester County Supreme Court’s Justice, issued an order that covers memos written and received by the Times by Project Veritas lawyer.

Wood scheduled a Nov. 23 hearing to consider a longer prohibition against publication, and whether the Times should remove references to privileged attorney-client information in a Nov. 11 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/us/politics/project-veritas-journalism-political-spying.html article about Project Veritas’ journalism practices.

Dean Baquet (executive editor of the Times) stated in an email that “this ruling is unconstitutional” and set a dangerous precedent.

“When a court suppresses journalism it fails its citizens, and undermines their rights to know,” he said. In the landmark case of the Pentagon Papers, which was an important ruling that prohibited prior restraint from preventing the publication newsworthy journalism, “the Supreme Court stated this clearly. It is evident that this principle applies. This decision should be immediately reviewed.”

Baquet spoke out about the U.S. Supreme Court rejecting the Nixon administration’s attempt to block the Times’ and Washington Post’s publication of the Pentagon Papers in 1971. The Pentagon Papers detailed U.S. military participation in Vietnam.

Project Veritas Lawyers didn’t immediately reply to our requests for comment.

After “references, descriptions and verbatim quotes” taken from Benjamin Barr’s memos, they had asked Wood for assistance.

The group is also suing the Times for defamation over a September 2020 article https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/us/politics/project-veritas-ilhan-omar.html describing a video it released alleging voter fraud in Minnesota.

Project Veritas described the Nov.11 article in a court filing as “a naked and vindictive effort to harm and embarrass litigation adversaries.”

Wood received advice from Times lawyers not to impose any “draconian or disfavored restriction” on publication. This was without giving Project Veritas a chance show it that Project Veritas request was “factually & legally deficient…and seeks relief the court cannot or must not grant.”

Project Veritas v New York Times Co et al., New York State Supreme Court Westchester County. 63921/2020.