Cohen v. Cowles Media Co.
| Cohen v. Cowles Media Co. | |
|---|---|
| Argued March 27, 1991 Decided June 24, 1991 | |
| Full case name | Dan Cohen v. Cowles Media Company, dba Minneapolis Star & Tribune Company, et al. |
| Citations | 501 U.S. 663 (more) 111 S. Ct. 2513; 115 L. Ed. 2d 586; 1991 U.S. LEXIS 3639; 59 U.S.L.W. 4773; 18 Media L. Rep. 2273; 91 Cal. Daily Op. Service 4796; 91 Daily Journal DAR 7417 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | 445 N.W.2d 248 (Minn. Ct. App. 1989); affirmed in part, reversed in part, 457 N.W.2d 199 (Minn. 1990); cert. granted, 498 U.S. 1011 (1990). |
| Subsequent | Affirmed on remand, 479 N.W.2d 387 (Minn. 1992); on rehearing, 481 N.W.2d 840 (Minn. 1992). |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | White, joined by Rehnquist, Stevens, Scalia, Kennedy |
| Dissent | Blackmun, joined by Marshall, Souter |
| Dissent | Souter, joined by Marshall, Blackmun, O'Connor |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. I | |
Cohen v. Cowles Media Co., 501 U.S. 663 (1991), was a U.S. Supreme Court case holding that the First Amendment freedom of the press does not exempt journalists from generally applicable laws.
Dan Cohen, a Republican associated with Wheelock Whitney's 1982 Minnesota gubernatorial run, provided inculpatory information on the Democratic challenger for Lieutenant Governor, Marlene Johnson, to the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press in exchange for a promise that his identity as the source would not be published. Over the reporters' objections, editors of both newspapers independently decided to publish his name. Cohen consequently lost his job at an advertising agency. He sued Cowles Media Company, who owned the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
In 1988, a jury of six found in Cohen's favor. The Minnesota Supreme Court reversed. The United States Supreme Court, while refusing to reinstate the damages, remanded the case to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which reinstated the jury's original verdict of $200,000.
The Cowles Media Company was found liable based on a theory of promissory estoppel.