The First Amendment's protection of press freedom does not give the reporters' privilege in court. Decided June 29, 1972 (argued February 23, 1972). Opinion of the Court: Byron White → go there Dissenting: Douglas, Stewart. Applied: the First Amendment → go there Topic: Freedom of speech and of the press. Branzburg v. Hayes, 408 U.S. 665 (1972), is a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court invalidating the use of the First Amendment as a defense for reporters summoned to testify before a grand jury. The case was argued February 23, 1972, and decided June 29 of the same year. The reporters lost their case by a vote of 5–4. This case is cited for the rule that in federal courts, a reporter may not generally avoid testifying in a criminal grand jury, and is one of a limited number of cases in which the U.S. Supreme Court has considered the use of reporters' privilege. Wiki link