Chandler v. Florida (1981) dealt with the First Amendment issue of press
access and ruled that states can allow broadcast coverage of criminal
trials.

Estes v. Texas (1965) overturned a conviction based on the presence of
cameras in the courtroom and explored relations between the First Amendment
and the right to a fair trial.

In Gannett Co. v. DePasquale, the Supreme Court ruled that trials closed to
the press and public were a violation of neither the First nor Sixth
Amendment.

In Houchins v. KQED (1978), the Supreme Court said that First Amendment
freedom of the press did not give the press an unlimited right to gather
information.

As detailed in the essay in this Encyclopedia on “Pentagon Rules for the Press,” in 2025, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth adopted new rules for members of the press, who had already undergone security clearances, covering the Pentagon. The new regulations required them to sign statements limiting their solicitation of information, pledging not to report

In Pell v. Procunier (1974), the Court upheld a ban on face-to-face media
interviews with inmates, rejecting arguments that it interfered with First
Amendment rights.

In Saxbe v. Washington Post Co. (1974), the Supreme Court established that
the press has no general First Amendment right to interview specific prison
inmates.

Seattle Times v. Rhinehart (1984) said that an order prohibiting a
newspaper from publishing material it received during a lawsuit discovery
did not violate the First Amendment.

Sheppard v. Maxwell (1966), which involved a murder trial, epitomized how a
circus-like “media” trial can pit First Amendment freedom against the right
to a fair trial.

In Sherrill v. Knight (1977), a circuit court said the First Amendment
limited the right of the White House to arbitrarily deny a press pass to a
journalist.

In Wilson v. Layne (1999), the Supreme Court balanced First and Fourth
Amendment rights and found that allowing media into homes on police
ride-alongs was illegal.