--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The special harm attaching to prior…" description: "\"The special harm attaching to prior restraint is that the government can keep materials from reaching the public, so there can be no accountability, no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/randal-marlin-23285_accountability_the-special-harm-attaching-to-prior-rest_3230671.jpg" --- # The special harm attaching to prior restraint is that the… ![“The special harm attaching to prior restraint is that the government can keep materials from reaching the public, so there can be no accountability, no judgment by the people that the power to suppress was wrongly exercised.” quote by Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/randal-marlin-23285_accountability_the-special-harm-attaching-to-prior-rest_3230671.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/randal-marlin-23285_accountability_the-special-harm-attaching-to-prior-rest_3230671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/randal-marlin-23285_accountability_the-special-harm-attaching-to-prior-rest_3230671.jpg) > “The special harm attaching to prior restraint is that the government can keep materials from reaching the public, so there can be no accountability, no judgment by the people that the power to suppress was wrongly exercised.” [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prior restraint blocks public access, preventing oversight and accountability for governmental suppression. **In simple terms:** Government can hide information, avoiding public judgment. Key Takeaway Ensure transparency and allow public scrutiny. Themes freedom of speech government accountability media censorship public oversight Mood concerned critical Type legal political When to use this quote - court cases - legislative hearings - journalistic investigations - public policy debates Key Concepts constitutional law democratic theory media ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance security with transparency? - What mechanisms ensure government accountability? A Different Perspective Legal challenges may be limited by national security claims. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accountability/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Restraint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restraint/) ## Related quotes > [When government gets too big, freedom is lost. Government is supposed to be the servant. 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It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lynn/you-have-no-idea-how-hard-it-is-for-me-not-to-grab-you-and-throw-you/) [Michelle Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lynn/) > [Printers shall be liable to legal prosecution for printing and publishing false facts injurious to the party prosecuting: but they shall be under no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/printers-shall-be-liable-to-legal-prosecution-for-printing-and/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Other folk thought the Rage was simple bloodlust, a berserk savagery that neither knew nor cared what its target was, and so it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weber/other-folk-thought-the-rage-was-simple-bloodlust-a-berserk-savagery/) [David Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weber/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes ## More by Randal Marlin > [Since the time of Plato and Aristotle philosophers have had an interest in taking note of common fallacies in reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/since-the-time-of-plato-and-aristotle-philosophers-have-had-an/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [Once we recognize the power of propaganda, we need to ask whether its exercise is consistent with those democratic ideals to which lip-service is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/once-we-recognize-the-power-of-propaganda-we-need-to-ask-whether-its/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [Party politics in modern democratic society means pandering to a wide variety of different groups and sympathizing with their often quite base motives, such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/party-politics-in-modern-democratic-society-means-pandering-to-a-wide/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [If war is glorified, it tends to eclipse the policies it is meant to serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/if-war-is-glorified-it-tends-to-eclipse-the-policies-it-is-meant-to/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [In modern times sound policy-making must often come to grips with numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/in-modern-times-sound-policy-making-must-often-come-to-grips-with/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [When you give false information you tend to restrict the freedom of choice to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/when-you-give-false-information-you-tend-to-restrict-the-freedom-of/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [The liar wants to be believed, but lying undermines the foundation for credibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/the-liar-wants-to-be-believed-but-lying-undermines-the-foundation-for/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [The specific media may change, but the principles of human nature have remained fairly constant over the millenia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/the-specific-media-may-change-but-the-principles-of-human-nature-have/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [Small town people assume you are a friend if you simply remember their names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/small-town-people-assume-you-are-a-friend-if-you-simply-remember/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [There are many special interests skilful at manipulating circumstances and communications in such a way as to benefit their own ends and not necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/there-are-many-special-interests-skilful-at-manipulating/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [Anyone familiar with the marvels of the Worldwide Web can hardly fail to see that we have entered a new era in communications on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/anyone-familiar-with-the-marvels-of-the-worldwide-web-can-hardly-fail/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [In a general way, a major goal of the propagandist is to seek some kind of authoritative backing for the belief he or she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/in-a-general-way-a-major-goal-of-the-propagandist-is-to-seek-some/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [We live in a time when complex ethical questions are easily subordinated to the demands of efficiency, profit maximization, and maintenance or furthering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/we-live-in-a-time-when-complex-ethical-questions-are-easily/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [There are many other ways in which language can be used to manipulate an audience. one obvious way is to simply lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/there-are-many-other-ways-in-which-language-can-be-used-to-manipulate/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, an alert citizenry today should take the trouble to learn how easy it can be for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/to-avoid-repeating-the-mistakes-of-the-past-an-alert-citizenry-today/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) [Explore all 26 Randal Marlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) ## 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