THE CASE AND TRIAL OF JOHN PETER ZENGER (1736)

The Trial of John Peter Zenger is a cornerstone in establishing freedom of the press.

Zenger was arrested in 1734 in New York for printing and publishing seditious libels, inflaming the minds of the people against the government, and disturbing the peace. In fact, Zenger was encouraging opposition to the unpopular Governor of New York, William Cosby.

When the proceedings against Zenger began in 1735, the presiding judge announced to the trial spectators that a jury finding the defendant not guilty would be perjured.

Cosby's opponents chose Andrew Hamilton, reputedly the best lawyer in America, to defend the printer. Hamilton maintained that truth is a defense against libel, and the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the first day.

A BRIEF NARRATIVE OF THE CASE AND TRIAL OF JOHN PETER ZENGER, written by Zenger's editor, James Alexander, first appeared in 1736. It was reprinted and supplemented by editor Stanley Nider Katz in 1963.

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