LAD #2 John Peter Zinger

LAD #2 John Peter Zenger

1. John Peter Zenger was the publisher and editor for The New York Weekly Journal during around 1733. Zenger printed articles opposed to Governor Cosby's actions persecuting governor Rip Van Dam and removing Chief Justice Lewis Morris from the courts and was put in jail, being tried for seditious libel.

2. The controversy over his chargers were that since the statements were published against the governor it should be enough to convict him. Hamilton argued that the statements published were not false so Zenger was found not guilty.

3. This case influenced American governmental tradition in that it established that true statements can not be proved libelous even if they are defamatory.

4. The lasting significance of this trial is that it confirmed the right to freedom of press in America. People could now post criticisms of officials without the worry of going to trial for libel. It also helped to strengthen the democracy in the growing nation.